tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72627386867909778172024-03-19T01:26:43.072-07:00Space NewsWorld space hottest newsJackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.comBlogger838125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-38389134660359408612024-03-18T17:04:00.000-07:002024-03-18T17:04:51.042-07:00Startical orders test satellites for air traffic surveillance and comms constellationSpanish defense contractor Indra has teamed up with local air navigation services provider Enaire to order two satellites next year to test their proposed air traffic surveillance and communications constellation. Their joint venture, Startical, said March 18 it has ordered a 20-kilogram satellite from GomSpace and a 110-kilogram satellite from Kongsberg NanoAvionics — the first of more than 270 spacecraft planned for low Earth orbit. Startical said the GomSpace satellite would be deployed in early 2025, followed by NanoAvionics around the middle of the year, but did not disclose launch details. The company plans to test the performance of a receiver for tracking Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) signals from aircraft and a very high-frequency (VHF) radio system for improving pilot communications. Financial and technical details were not disclosed. “Our goal is to become the main global provider of air traffic management technology in the space segment and a market leader in satellite surveillance and voice and data communications services,” Startical CEO J. Enrique González Laguna said in a statement. Satellite operator Viasat seeks to improve airspace-tracking capabilities with its L-band satellites to complement currently congested VHF data links, as part of an air traffic modernization program with the European Space Agency.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5egx8s34XqhrkEnsqrVJu6R51T0V8FjKVE2ciFVVQMphBGhLiHapRimNpL91cKvRO4IM2PoaoMem8dvEuWfjKRPm03U-B15LXOhETbWxKIZGAW78bXNnEDPNaq_-mVkbqelgkhXDu9R6cyypf8BWYSp6pA-x_8x24aPG85Y4sb3CQvyPHxTIyDR2Cfnk/s1128/NanoAvionics%20will%20base%20its%20satellite%20on%20its%20MP42%20microsatellite%20bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1128" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5egx8s34XqhrkEnsqrVJu6R51T0V8FjKVE2ciFVVQMphBGhLiHapRimNpL91cKvRO4IM2PoaoMem8dvEuWfjKRPm03U-B15LXOhETbWxKIZGAW78bXNnEDPNaq_-mVkbqelgkhXDu9R6cyypf8BWYSp6pA-x_8x24aPG85Y4sb3CQvyPHxTIyDR2Cfnk/s320/NanoAvionics%20will%20base%20its%20satellite%20on%20its%20MP42%20microsatellite%20bus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">NanoAvionics will base its satellite on its MP42 microsatellite bus, like the one pictured here. Credit: Konsberg NanoAvionics</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-357081 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-aireon tag-enaire tag-gomspace tag-indra tag-nanoavionics tag-satellite-conference tag-startical tag-viasat entry" id="post-357081" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>According to ESA, fitting aircraft with higher-bandwidth communications would give air traffic controllers more data to schedule landings in advance, minimizing fuel consumption and maximizing airspace and airport capacity.<br /><br />Viasat says communications between pilots and controllers using the Iris network could also move from voice to text messages for improved operational safety and efficiency.<br /><br />Europe’s easyJet recently became the airline to use Iris commercially, Viasat announced Jan 29.<br /><br />“Iris provides everything the industry needs to modernise Air Traffic Management today and is fully operational,” a Viasat spokesperson said via email.<br /><br />The service is currently deployed in Europe through a group of 19 air navigation service providers, Viasat added, with more expected to join in the coming months.<br /><br />Startical said its proposed VHF constellation would use the aeronautical radio communications band approved in December by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), part of the United Nations.<br /><br />U.S.-based Aireon, which currently provides ADS-B surveillance services using hosted payloads on Iridium Communications’ low Earth orbit constellation, also announced plans March 7 to get a license for operating a space-based VHF system in the newly allocated spectrum band.<br /><br />Space-based VHF holds particular promise for areas with limited connectivity or without ground infrastructure, Aireon said, such as remote regions and oceanic routes. <br /><br />Like space-based ADS-B, Aireon said space-based VHF could help improve airspace safety, efficiency, and sustainability by reducing the distance between aircraft and more efficient routing. <br /><br />“Space-based VHF has tremendous potential for the entire aviation industry,” Aireon CEO Don Thoma told SpaceNews via email, “and it will require investment of the entire industry to be successful. We are looking forward to seeing the results of Starticle’s first satellite launches.”<br /><br />Thoma said Aireon has spent more than 10 years developing, deploying, and operating what is currently the only global space-based ADS-B system. <br /><br />The company is looking to draw on this experience for its venture into space-based VHF, along with partners that include Iridium and air navigation services providers based in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and Denmark.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-47282149992967259602024-03-16T06:25:00.000-07:002024-03-16T06:25:37.586-07:00Mars Sample Return science continues amid budget uncertaintyTHE WOODLANDS, Texas — Efforts by scientists to use a Mars rover to collect samples are continuing even as NASA wraps up a new assessment of when and how those samples will be brought back to Earth. The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, has filled 26 of its 43 sample tubes, scientists involved with the mission said in presentations at the Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference (LPSC) here March 12. The rover is climbing up the remains of a river delta that once flowed into Jezero Crater. Of those 26 tubes, 20 contain rock cores, said Meenakshi Wadhwa, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University who serves as principal scientist for Mars Sample Return (MSR) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Two contain regolith and another holds a sample of the atmosphere, while the other three are “witness tubes” that serve as controls to identify any terrestrial contamination in the other tubes. Two of the remaining 17 tubes are also witness tubes, leaving 15 that can be filled with other samples. Scientists are planning next phases of the rover’s traverse, she said, such as to the crater rim, which promises what she called “an incredible diversity” of rocks of different ages and exposed to different processes, “including materials of astrobiological potential.” That work is ongoing as NASA enters the final phases of a review of the overall MSR architecture, including the schedule and design of the mission that will collect those sample tubes and return them to Earth. After an independent review board, or IRB, concluded that the agency’s existing approach could not meet cost and schedule goals, NASA commissioned an MSR IRB Response Team (MIRT) in October to evaluate alternative approaches.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mfHz2wDiOi0LVHonl03aoQdmzw1k-SVeQOGKU4Bjp-Z0RrdUfPZ5z2q8RpKZQALbhUDA3zmkK2VLEkSW83paaFLz3iMaVqxVM7iZVPWi0oDp7f9z51Ef6Es7Gj-pl-R6cubDo7cAugk8CXFMMFQelZQiemJHzCP-FbC4oPu8qHp4ksHdr3-FVerk3CE/s1098/sample%20tube%20on%20the%20Martian%20surface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1098" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mfHz2wDiOi0LVHonl03aoQdmzw1k-SVeQOGKU4Bjp-Z0RrdUfPZ5z2q8RpKZQALbhUDA3zmkK2VLEkSW83paaFLz3iMaVqxVM7iZVPWi0oDp7f9z51Ef6Es7Gj-pl-R6cubDo7cAugk8CXFMMFQelZQiemJHzCP-FbC4oPu8qHp4ksHdr3-FVerk3CE/s320/sample%20tube%20on%20the%20Martian%20surface.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">A sample tube on the Martian surface in the shadow of the Perseverance rover. Perseverance is continuing to collect samples as NASA develops a new plan for returning them to Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-356131 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-news-archive tag-mars-sample-return tag-nasa entry" id="post-356131" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>“Much of the work is already complete” by the MIRT, Wadhwa said. The MIRT is expected to complete its work by the end of the month, with NASA releasing its revised MSR plans, and proposed budget, as soon as April.<br /><br />That has put not just MSR but also NASA’s overall planetary science portfolio in limbo. NASA’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal, released March 11, left MSR funding as TBD, or to be determined. At the same time, the agency must also develop an operating plan for fiscal year 2024 funding provided by an appropriations bill passed March 8 that instructed NASA to spend at least $300 million, and as much as $949.3 million, on MSR in 2024.<br /><br />The TBD in the fiscal year 2025 budget request for MSR reflects the uncertainty about the plans for carrying out the program, said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division, during a town hall meeting at LPSC March 11. “We’re trying to give the response team the time they need to complete their assessment and provide the recommendation,” she explained.<br /><br />Once that work is done, NASA will amend its budget request to seek specific funding for MSR in 2025, but at the expense of the allocations requested for other planetary programs in the original proposal. “I do not expect the top level of the planetary budget to go up above the $2.73 billion” in the original request, she said, which is already fully allocated to other programs. “We need to think about how we support Mars Sample Return within a balanced planetary portfolio and within that $2.73 billion top line.”<br /><br />NASA faces similar challenges for determining MSR funding in 2024 within the limits set by the appropriations bill. “This is going to be the heart of a very difficult process,” she said.<br /><br />While providing little information about what the new MSR architecture, and its cost and schedule, will be, NASA officials at the conference reemphasized the scientific value of the program.<br /><br />“Mars Sample Return is one of the highest priorities in the past two decadal surveys. It is an agency priority,” said Lindsay Hays, acting lead scientist for MSR at NASA Headquarters, during a March 12 presentation. The samples, she said, can serve as a “Rosetta Stone” to decode the early history of terrestrial planets.<br /><br />Those officials acknowledged, though, the uncertainty about MSR was affecting science planning. That includes potential surveys beyond the crater rim by Perseverance to collect samples. “We’re awaiting to see what the MIRT results are,” Hays said. “The MIRT is going to help us understand what is our future architecture and future schedule.”<br /><br />She added that “maximizing sample number and simple diversity is absolutely key” for the mission, a point Wadhwa also made.<br /><br />“We are currently awaiting the outcome of the MIRT in terms of what the timeline is going to look like,” Wadhwa said, which will shape what kind of traverse Perseverance will take to collect additional samples at and beyond the crater rim. “We have an amazing set of rocks awaiting us in those regions.”</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-22669575462033348052024-03-12T07:45:00.000-07:002024-03-12T07:45:54.247-07:00Crew-7 returns to EarthA Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down early March 12, returning a multinational crew after more than six months of the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast from Pensacola, Florida, at 5:47 a.m. Eastern after a normal reentry. The spacecraft had undocked from the station more than 18 hours earlier. Endurance’s return marked then end of the 199-day Crew-7 mission, which launched last August. On board were NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. All four were out of the capsule less than an hour after splashdown. That post-splashdown recovery is among the fastest for the 12 Crew Dragon splashdowns to date. “The SpaceX team did a great job of getting the Dragon capsule out of the water and back on to the ship. They continue to get better and better,” said Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, in a call with reporters. He said favorable weather conditions, with very light winds and calm seas, likely also contributed to the speedy recovery. The splashdown completed the third flight of Endurance, all long-duration ISS missions. Benji Reed, senior director for human spaceflight programs at SpaceX, noted at the briefing that the capsule has spent 534 days in space, more than any crew-rated vehicle in history.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSnTrnmVKC-orzNcom1sa7vrRHcXo0NDp1eodjEd1VSJJHU48h0ShRHMaq9Pxrh6hF3N1wE1kdLj_xj-knesEM-8-jvYKBPUHcvobTaz3uMhW8NvV4sW5n33GLFwYnm8yWr0acdQjI6fyVQlCjEhQ89_Zzhs7ofv1Fl7cx_Iv9Izj_HdoGnyex00w8hM/s1054/Crew%20Dragon%20capsule%20after%20splashdown%20on%20the%20Crew-7%20mission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1054" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSnTrnmVKC-orzNcom1sa7vrRHcXo0NDp1eodjEd1VSJJHU48h0ShRHMaq9Pxrh6hF3N1wE1kdLj_xj-knesEM-8-jvYKBPUHcvobTaz3uMhW8NvV4sW5n33GLFwYnm8yWr0acdQjI6fyVQlCjEhQ89_Zzhs7ofv1Fl7cx_Iv9Izj_HdoGnyex00w8hM/s320/Crew%20Dragon%20capsule%20after%20splashdown%20on%20the%20Crew-7%20mission.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">The Crew Dragon capsule after splashdown on the Crew-7 mission. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-354315 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-crew-dragon tag-iss tag-nasa tag-spacex entry" id="post-354315" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Crew-7 departed the ISS nearly a week after the arrival of their replacements, Crew-8, on another Crew Dragon spacecraft named Endeavour. NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin will stay on the ISS for the next six months.<br /><br />Endeavour, Reed added in the call, will overtake Endurance’s current record, with 476 days and counting in space. “The Dragons are a workhorse in the industry.”<br /><br />The return of Crew-7 frees up a docking port on the station for a cargo Dragon mission, CRS-30, scheduled for launch later this month. That vehicle will remain docked to the station for a month before it returns to Earth. It will be followed by the first crewed flight by Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, now scheduled for early May.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-9165714673798899642024-03-10T06:26:00.000-07:002024-03-10T06:26:52.845-07:00Stratolaunch performs first powered Talon flightStratolaunch conducted the first powered flight of its Talon vehicle March 9, reaching “high supersonic” speeds in the uncrewed test. The Talon-A vehicle, designated TA-1, took off attached to the company’s Roc aircraft from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 10:17 a.m. Eastern according to flight tracking data. The plane flew west to a location in the Pacific off the central California coast, where it released TA-1 at an unspecified time. Roc returned to Mojave more than four hours after takeoff. Stratolaunch executives said in a call with reporters that they could not disclose the top speed or altitude of the TA-1 on its flight, citing “proprietary agreements” with unspecified customers. They were, though, satisfied with the flight. “As part of our successful achievement of the test objectives, we did reach that high supersonic regime approaching hypersonic flight,” said Zachary Krevor, president and chief executive of Stratolaunch. Hypersonic flight is typically defined as speeds higher than Mach 5. Aaron Cassebeer, senior vice president of engineering and operations, said the TA-1 achieved its major test objectives, including release from Roc and ignition of its engine, sustained acceleration and climb through high supersonic speeds while maintaining control, then decelerating and gliding to an ocean splashdown. TA-1, an expendable vehicle, was not recovered. “Overall, we’re incredibly pleased with how TA-1 performed today,” he said. “As it stands right now, we are well positioned to continue our planned test series.”<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwuPu4gZkaRviMfC7gC3thPS4wDiO9Qh-5Sg4stcGfgPZ6VsBFbbfxzE5pa6zwmn0tHiCAPq3acxzws4Hg9_0oEGUy5Ote0VC313jWKt9t6Ew0IDY3S3WHoB-spDPcdlU0-7j6Q5C7Cv7ofmncoz9-nAsbPF8GNcv69joKoQ1GbPNvSJUavMNMcG7A-8/s1040/Stratolaunch's%20Roc%20aircraft,%20with%20the%20Talon%20TA-1%20vehicle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1040" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwuPu4gZkaRviMfC7gC3thPS4wDiO9Qh-5Sg4stcGfgPZ6VsBFbbfxzE5pa6zwmn0tHiCAPq3acxzws4Hg9_0oEGUy5Ote0VC313jWKt9t6Ew0IDY3S3WHoB-spDPcdlU0-7j6Q5C7Cv7ofmncoz9-nAsbPF8GNcv69joKoQ1GbPNvSJUavMNMcG7A-8/s320/Stratolaunch's%20Roc%20aircraft,%20with%20the%20Talon%20TA-1%20vehicle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #666666;">Stratolaunch's Roc aircraft, with the Talon TA-1 vehicle attached between its fuselages, takes off March 9 from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Credit: Stratolaunch/Matt Hartman</span></div></span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-352937 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-launch-archive category-news-archive tag-stratolaunch entry" id="post-352937" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The company’s next vehicle, TA-2, is its first reusable hypersonic vehicle. It is scheduled to begin flight tests in the second half of the year, with another reusable vehicle, TA-3, under construction. Stratolaunch is also modifying a Boeing 747 is acquired last year in Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy auction to serve as a second air-launch platform.</div><div><br /></div>Stratolaunch was founded more than a decade ago by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen with the initial goal of providing air-launch services using a giant twin-fuselage, six-engine aircraft. The company at various times considered a variant of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a vehicle concept called Thunderbolt by Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman) and that company’s existing, but much smaller, Pegasus XL rocket. It then started work on its own launch vehicle and engine.<br /><br />The company pivoted after the 2018 death of Allen. The company dropped plans for its own launch vehicle and was later sold to a private equity firm, Cerebus. The company announced in 2020 it would focus instead on developing hypersonic vehicles that would be air-launched by Roc.<br /><br />The TA-1 flight was also a milestone for Ursa Major Technologies, the company that developed the Hadley engine that powers the vehicle. That engine, which uses liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants, is designed to produce 5,000 pounds-force of thrust. Ursa Major had not disclosed any flight tests of that engine before the TA-1 flight.<br /><br />Cassebeer said the Hadley engine fired for about 200 seconds on the flight. “The Hadley engine performed very well today. It met all of our expectations,” he said.Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-48703073748414255822024-03-07T07:02:00.000-08:002024-03-07T07:02:22.821-08:00Italian space startup Kurs Orbital raises $4 million in seed fundingKurs Orbital, an Italian startup developing technology for in-space satellite servicing, announced March 7 it has secured $4 million in seed funding. Based in Turin, Italy, Kurs was co-founded in 2021 by former director of Ukraine’s space agency Volodymyr Usov. The company relocated to Italy in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine and set up operations at the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Center. The funding round was led by the European firm OTB Ventures. Other participants include Credo Ventures, Galaxia, In-Q-Tel and Inovo. Usov, who is Kurs’ chief executive, said the seed funds will help to accelerate the development and commercialization of an interface module, called ARCap, that Kurs designed to facilitate in-orbit docking and maneuvers known as rendezvous and proximity operations.<div><br /></div><div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdW-eiBomv7pdHDfy39kfkKcLg5xtXtbGciutjzF-N27sGTzql2uLEl-nRF6BTB1DPhgVJphl-oqDDpk6ZWOVZsMKKKParTQZUxitP5MAikSZ6Y9OPygCnaTQMfb0ldG1Lc2bwDQ3LSNVgorX2zQfUZ3SPp7R2X2nfateg8iL5juKbLDLjtyxsZetAUs/s1081/Kurs%20Orbital%E2%80%99s%20interface%20module.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1081" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdW-eiBomv7pdHDfy39kfkKcLg5xtXtbGciutjzF-N27sGTzql2uLEl-nRF6BTB1DPhgVJphl-oqDDpk6ZWOVZsMKKKParTQZUxitP5MAikSZ6Y9OPygCnaTQMfb0ldG1Lc2bwDQ3LSNVgorX2zQfUZ3SPp7R2X2nfateg8iL5juKbLDLjtyxsZetAUs/s320/Kurs%20Orbital%E2%80%99s%20interface%20module.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">Illustration of Kurs Orbital’s interface module, called ARCap, designed to facilitate in-orbit docking and maneuvers. Credit: Kurs Orbital</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-351198 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-italy tag-kurs-orbital entry" id="post-351198" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div></div><br /><b>Module offered to satellite manufacturers</b><br /><br />The company does not intend to build servicing vehicles and plans to offer the ARCap as a stand-alone product. <br /><br />“With the help of our investors, we will be able to reach the market sooner, enabling many other startups and companies to start debris removal and satellite servicing operations,” said Usov. <br /><br />He said Kurs aims to deliver a “flight ready” ARCap module by late 2025. <br /><br />“The interface is designed with a modular architecture in mind to be scaled up and down based on application and orbit to be utilized at,” said Usov. The first flight ready system will be developed for missions in low Earth orbit.<br /><br />Usov said Kurs has several agreements with satellite manufacturers and space logistics companies, including Clearspace, Thales Alenia and D-Orbit.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-13921249809104532902024-03-05T01:59:00.000-08:002024-03-05T01:59:32.211-08:00NASA cancels OSAM-1 satellite servicing technology missionNASA has canceled a multibillion-dollar project to demonstrate satellite servicing technologies that had suffered extensive delays and cost overruns. In a brief statement March 1, NASA announced it was ending the On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) 1 mission. OSAM-1 was being developed to refuel the Landsat 7 spacecraft and then perform the in-orbit assembly of a Ka-band satellite antenna. NASA said it was canceling OSAM-1 “due to continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges, and a broader community evolution away from refueling unprepared spacecraft, which has led to a lack of a committed partner.” The agency said that, after formal congressional notifications of its decision, it would start the process for an orderly shutdown, which would include transferring hardware and “pursuing potential partnerships or alternative hardware uses.” NASA said it would also review how to mitigate the impact of the cancellation on the workforce at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which was leading OSAM-1. NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said there are approximately 450 NASA employees and contractors working on OSAM-1, and that NASA “is committed to supporting project workforce per plan through fiscal year 2024.” OSAM-1 started about a decade ago as Restore-L, with the goal of launching as soon as 2020 to refuel Landsat 7. The mission was renamed OSAM-1 in 2020 with the addition of payloads to perform in-space assembly and manufacturing activities.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAguJ_go8AqrEqwlbQ0EzPI8vi25WMynfCLUW6QhMNSzLdfskzNSsXzsRbW2THi4trNmQYeYXGv_njqmbnPP0JFNAfdnU7_tpTHUOFjWt4NnWxc8vwiP5JAEP67cK5MdKPkL4YtegwrTHQDj6hxAn2VjV3xwfB2Dq_rIs9sUprYHGAtaAlAGL_X1vCbac/s1020/OSAM-1%20satellite%20servicing%20technology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1020" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAguJ_go8AqrEqwlbQ0EzPI8vi25WMynfCLUW6QhMNSzLdfskzNSsXzsRbW2THi4trNmQYeYXGv_njqmbnPP0JFNAfdnU7_tpTHUOFjWt4NnWxc8vwiP5JAEP67cK5MdKPkL4YtegwrTHQDj6hxAn2VjV3xwfB2Dq_rIs9sUprYHGAtaAlAGL_X1vCbac/s320/OSAM-1%20satellite%20servicing%20technology.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;">The OSAM-1 satellite servicing technology demonstration mission suffered significant cost and schedule overruns. Credit: NASA</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-350004 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-news-archive tag-maxar tag-nasa tag-osam tag-satellite-servicing entry" id="post-350004" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The mission, though, suffered significant cost overruns and delays. As of April 2022, the mission’s total cost, once projected to be between $626 million and $753 million, had grown to $2.05 billion and its launch delayed to December 2026. NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), in an October 2023 report, concluded the project would likely suffer additional overruns, with an estimated cost at completion as high as $2.17 billion and a launch of between March and June 2027.<br /><br />A key factor in OSAM-1’s problems, the report concluded, was the performance of Maxar, which is supplying both the spacecraft bus as well as the robotics payload, called Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), under contracts with a combined value of nearly $316 million. Maxar delivered the OSAM-1 bus in September 2023, two and a half years behind schedule, and was running more than two years late with the deliveries of SPIDER components, OIG found.<br /><br />Maxar acknowledged in the report that they had “significantly underestimated the scope and complexity of the work” modifying one of its 1300-series satellite buses, designed for commercial geostationary orbit communications satellites, for use on OSAM-1 in low Earth orbit. The company also had technical problems with SPIDER as well as issues managing subcontractors. NASA said in September 2023 it has removed one element of SPIDER called MakerSat, which would have manufactured a composite beam, to focus on its servicing and assembly technologies.<br /><br />That report traced the problems with the OSAM-1 bus and SPIDER to the use of fixed firm price contracts that, OIG concluded, gave NASA no means to incentivize the company’s performance. NASA at times stepped in, providing an estimated $2 million in labor to help with the OSAM-1 bus in 2022 and 2023.<br /><br />“In our discussions with Maxar officials, they acknowledged that they were no longer profiting from their work on OSAM-1,” OIG noted in its report. “Moreover, project officials stated that OSAM-1 does not appear to be a high priority for Maxar in terms of the quality of its staffing.”<br /><br />Maxar spokesperson Eric Glass said the company had delivered to NASA a pallet for the SPIDER payload, as well as one of its three robotic arms, with the other two robotic arms planned for delivery later this year. “While we are disappointed by the decision to discontinue the program, we are committed to supporting NASA in pursuing potential new partnerships or alternative hardware uses as they complete the shutdown,” he said.<br /><br />One problem OSAM-1 did not have was funding. Congress regularly exceeded NASA’s requests for funding for the mission. The OIG report noted that NASA requested $808.5 million for OSAM-1 between 2016 and 2023 but Congress appropriated more than $1.48 billion. NASA requested $227 million for OSAM-1 for fiscal year 2024 and both the House and Senate versions of spending bills fully funded the mission.<br /><br />OSAM-1’s cancelation comes as many companies are commercially pursuing satellite servicing technologies, in many cases using more cooperative approaches such as designing satellites with refueling ports that reduce the complexity of refueling. At the annual meeting of CONFERS, a satellite servicing industry group, in October 2023, an audience member noted there had been little discussion about OSAM-1 in conference presentations.<br /><br />Bo Naasz, who leads satellite servicing capability development at NASA, acknowledged the difficulty in developing a spacecraft designed to refuel a spacecraft “not prepared” for servicing. “It’s really hard,” he said. He argued the value of OSAM-1 was to demonstrate robotic technologies that could be transferred for other applications while gaining experience in satellite servicing.<br /><br />“We can help convince the consumer that we know how to do this and that it’s ready,” he concluded. “I think it is, but I also think it’s hard.”</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-45568611565348855872024-02-25T10:19:00.000-08:002024-02-25T10:19:30.036-08:00China launches classified military satellite towards geostationary beltChina launched the TJS-11 classified satellite early Friday as the country continues to build its geostationary capabilities. A Long March 5 lifted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island at 6:30 a.m. Eastern (1130 UTC), Feb. 23. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., (CASC), announced launch success just under an hour after launch. The announcement also provided the first official statement on the payload: TJS-11 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-11). The satellite is described as being mainly used to carry out multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technology verification. Neither CASC nor Chinese state media provided further details on the satellite which belongs to a series of classified geosynchronous satellites for the Chinese military. TJS satellites are thought by observers to serve a range of purposes including early warning, signals intelligence and more. Buildup to the mission was shrouded in secrecy, despite the open location of the coastal launch. There were no official reports of the rollout of the rocket, in contrast to previous missions. Notably it is the shortest time between launches of the Long March 5, at 70 days since the launch of Yaogan-41. Like the Yaogan-41 launch, the TJS-11 mission used an elongated 18.5-meter-long, 5.2-meter-diameter payload fairing. Standard fairings are 12.3 meters long. This is the first TJS satellite launched on a Long March 5, China’s most powerful launch vehicle. The Long March 5 can loft 14,000 kilograms into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The launcher is required to launch China’s largest satellite bus, the DFH-5.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9HwkDVoWF8_pY8rZwvWO83HCmtAzPMe7gBlHK8rd8M12vlsP1o_PirVtNeUoN-wuBPPjQt3T0X6YaGYKYIMaUnck4QGE3CcnlHBhvNNgeSNd8Aygc2NyIIsdOtg5epiq8_TthJRy0B10WCiq6hKDeCQOykcfUJyDm6RrFsSFYxnr38BterCIbuJaEbs/s1083/TJS-11%20satellite%20launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1083" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9HwkDVoWF8_pY8rZwvWO83HCmtAzPMe7gBlHK8rd8M12vlsP1o_PirVtNeUoN-wuBPPjQt3T0X6YaGYKYIMaUnck4QGE3CcnlHBhvNNgeSNd8Aygc2NyIIsdOtg5epiq8_TthJRy0B10WCiq6hKDeCQOykcfUJyDm6RrFsSFYxnr38BterCIbuJaEbs/s320/TJS-11%20satellite%20launch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The satellite series and its activities has caught the attention of observers in recent years. For instance, China’s TJS-3 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-3) satellite launched in 2018 and released a payload of unstated purposes. <br /><br />Assessments of the pair’s maneuvers suggest the spacecraft moved in concert and carried out operations including spoofing. This involves coordinated maneuvers at certain times in an attempt to confuse rivals’ space tracking networks. Orbital data reveals that TJS-3 has been making close approaches to American satellites.<br /><br />The U.S. Space Force recently stated its growing concern at China’s advancing capabilities in geostationary orbit (GEO). Assets of note include the Ludi Tance-4 (01) L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite and the Yaogan-41 optical satellite, with an estimated resolution of 2.5 meters. China launched the pair separately in the second half of 2023.<br /><br />“Paired with data from other Chinese surveillance satellites, Yaogan-41 could provide China an unprecedented ability to identify and track car-sized objects throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region and put at risk numerous U.S. and allied naval and air assets operating in the region,” Clayton Swope, a former U.S. intelligence official and now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Jan. 30.<br /><br />Furthermore, a Long March 7A rocket launched the mystery TJS-10 satellite towards GEO in November last year.<br /><br />The launch of TJS-11 was the seventh flight of the Long March 5. It was also China’s ninth orbital mission of 2024. CASC has yet to provide an outline for its overall launch activities for 2024, in contrast to previous years. China launched a national record 67 times last year with one failure.<br /><br />Known major activities include Shenzhou missions to the Tiangong space station and the pioneering Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission. The latter mission will fly on the next Long March 5. Launch is expected in May, following the launch of the requisite Queqiao-2 relay satellite on a Long March 8 next month.<br /><br />Chinese commercial launch providers are expected to continue to build on a breakthrough 2023. The debut of new liquid-propellent launch vehicles including the Tianlong-3 (Space Pioneer), Nebula-1 (Deep Blue Aerospace) and Pallas-1 (Galactic Energy) expected in the second half of 2024.</div></div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-24742760770117781732024-02-19T12:22:00.000-08:002024-02-19T12:22:40.535-08:00Eutelsat scales back OneWeb Gen 2 upgrade planEutelsat has decided to hold off deploying significantly upgraded OneWeb broadband satellites to instead focus on adding continuity of service capacity for customers with long-term contracts, the French fleet operator said Feb. 16. The shift to a progressive approach for improving low Earth orbit satellite capacity and performance shaves off nearly one third of the company’s previous $4 billion budget for a second-generation constellation, Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke said during an earnings call. Berneke said the strategy still leaves Eutelsat open to potential public sector funding from programs such as IRIS², Europe’s sovereign broadband project, for financing the development of new technologies that could be added to the constellation. “But it’s also really to make sure that the timeline works,” she continued, “I mean, it’s very important to us that we keep the continuity of service with our customers in these multi-year contracts and set them up over time, and then bring the new functionality when it’s ready.” After testing a OneWeb Gen 2 technology demonstrator last year, Eutelsat has been speaking to manufacturers about a constellation of around 300 satellites that could begin deployments as soon as 2025. Most of the 633 satellites in OneWeb’s current generation were launched between 2020 and 2023, and the constellation has a design life extending to around 2027-2028. The satellites were built by a Florida-based joint venture with Airbus of France, which recently bought Eutelsat out of the group for an undisclosed sum.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_QeRdn16DQ4Yy-LFZ_n64-zXimABXOlw6yoXKl6MbMTYMQT5Fzh13OiAhB50R-o0E9H38hjb-ZXnrHWAk9YL6cx-3Eydo_ZKYVDirBPHHgyd-k0JuTz6-pPxdQ6WhOvD_EiF3ySE3ynPNAIxcvO_Z7NZCGVHykQ5GxsyEYqP9PpvMp6XXDDKSrS30fo/s809/Eutelsat%20says%20integrating%20its%20geostationary%20broadband%20network%20with%20OneWeb%E2%80%99s%20low%20Earth%20orbit%20satellites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="809" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_QeRdn16DQ4Yy-LFZ_n64-zXimABXOlw6yoXKl6MbMTYMQT5Fzh13OiAhB50R-o0E9H38hjb-ZXnrHWAk9YL6cx-3Eydo_ZKYVDirBPHHgyd-k0JuTz6-pPxdQ6WhOvD_EiF3ySE3ynPNAIxcvO_Z7NZCGVHykQ5GxsyEYqP9PpvMp6XXDDKSrS30fo/s320/Eutelsat%20says%20integrating%20its%20geostationary%20broadband%20network%20with%20OneWeb%E2%80%99s%20low%20Earth%20orbit%20satellites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #783f04; font-size: x-small;">Eutelsat says integrating its geostationary broadband network with OneWeb’s low Earth orbit satellites is the best way to meet future global connectivity needs. Credit: OneWeb</span></div><article class="post-347137 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-eutelsat tag-oneweb entry" id="post-347137" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Eutelsat did not detail how many satellites are under its revised strategy.<br /><br />The operator has previously said a Gen 2 constellation could be smaller than Gen 1 partly because newer satellites would leverage Eutelsat’s geostationary satellites over high-demand areas.<br /><br />During the Feb. 16 earnings call, Eutelsat chief financial officer Christophe Caudrelier said the company is talking to government-backed export credit agencies (ECAs) in India, the United Kingdom, and France to support the majority of Gen 2 costs.<br /><br />The planned ramp-up of OneWeb’s commercial services worldwide would also support the investment. <br /><br />Although all the satellites OneWeb needs for worldwide coverage are in position, ground segment delays are currently holding back global services.<br /><br />Previously slated to begin global low Earth orbit services in early 2024, Eutelsat recently said it expects to have completed only 90% of OneWeb’s ground network by the end of June following a mix of installation and licensing setbacks.<br /><br />Key enterprise and government customer markets for OneWeb that are waiting for services to come online include India and Saudi Arabia.<br /><br />Eutelsat reported around 700 million euros ($754 million) in OneWeb customer backlog as of the end of December, up 23% from three months earlier and continuing to grow.<br /><br />Customers in areas where OneWeb services are available, such as Alaska, are experiencing up to 195 megabits per second download and 32 Mbps upload speeds, according to Eutelsat, with a latency of 70 milliseconds. <br /><br /><b>GEO wins the day</b><br /><br />Services from recently launched geostationary satellites Konnect VHTS and Eutelsat 10B helped put the operator on track for a return to growth following years of annual revenue declines thanks to its waning legacy video business.<br /><br />Eutelsat recorded 572.6 million euros in revenue for the six months to Dec. 31, up 1% compared with the same period in 2022 when adjusted for currency changes on a like-for-like basis.<br /><br />Video was the only Eutelsat business unit that did not post revenue growth, falling 8% year-on-year to 331.1 million euros — but still representing the bulk of the company’s total sales. Non-renewed and scaled-down broadcast contracts dragged the division down, along with sanctions against Russian and Iranian channels.<br /><br />Government services, mobile connectivity, and fixed connectivity were up 10.5%, 35.6%, and 9.2%, respectively.<br /><br />These three verticals included some contribution from OneWeb, Caudrelier said, underlining Eutelsat’s rationale for acquiring the company last year to boost its pivot to connectivity services.<br /><br />Adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, stood at 365.6 million euros Dec. 31, down 12.7% compared with 419 million euros a year earlier. </div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-40190543812155688932024-02-14T16:07:00.000-08:002024-02-14T16:07:13.743-08:00Varda gets reentry license for space manufacturing capsuleAfter months of effort and one rejected application, Varda Space Industries said Feb. 14 it has received a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to return a capsule from its first mission. The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation issued a reentry license for Varda’s W-Series 1 spacecraft. The license will allow the company to land a capsule from that spacecraft at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) and neighboring Dugway Proving Ground west of Salt Lake City. Varda said that reentry is scheduled for Feb. 21. “We’ve been working closely with our government partners and our satellite partner, Rocket Lab, to ensure a safe and compliant return from space,” Varda said in a statement. “Today we’re excited to announce the FAA has approved a re-entry attempt for Feb 21st.” Varda launched W-Series 1, its first spacecraft, in June on the SpaceX Transporter-8 rideshare mission. The company performed experiments to test the production of crystals in microgravity, which would be returned to Earth in a capsule developed by Varda attached to the Rocket Lab-produced spacecraft. The company had hoped to return the capsule as early as mid-July, but said then was still working with the FAA to obtain a reentry license, required for any commercial spacecraft returning to Earth. One issue the company said it was facing was that it was the first company seeking a reentry license under new regulations called Part 450 intended to streamline the licensing process, but which some companies reported difficulties adjusting to.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkWUrouTvRCn8aQTELJ9GlMNuQKGPpfAHGdZJTe2Q6SXvGe7FuOwGTvlPEdgw_B9YXtGlIVhJCehw6f4aHsQwjW44zOmPw5AgMR8oxmD9H7OPleu-TfuTM7OI5rEUGrnwPL8oifainvGrCAnUUepeUvKZYp8jGDotVvwH3esmlipf_ueFuoPAzSujE8Y/s742/Varda%20Space%20Industries'%20W-Series%201%20spacecraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="742" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkWUrouTvRCn8aQTELJ9GlMNuQKGPpfAHGdZJTe2Q6SXvGe7FuOwGTvlPEdgw_B9YXtGlIVhJCehw6f4aHsQwjW44zOmPw5AgMR8oxmD9H7OPleu-TfuTM7OI5rEUGrnwPL8oifainvGrCAnUUepeUvKZYp8jGDotVvwH3esmlipf_ueFuoPAzSujE8Y/s320/Varda%20Space%20Industries'%20W-Series%201%20spacecraft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #444444;">Varda Space Industries' W-Series 1 spacecraft includes a capsule designed to return pharmaceutical experiments. Credit: Varda Space Industries</span></div></span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-346650 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-faa-office-of-commercial-space-transportation tag-varda-space-industries entry" id="post-346650" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>In October, the company said it had come close in early September to getting an FAA reentry license as well as securing approval from the U.S. Air Force, which operates UTTR. “It was ultimately a coordination problem amongst three different groups that had not worked through this operation before,” Delian Asparouhov, co-founder of Varda, said in an interview at the time.<br /><br />“This is the first time in our nation’s history that the FAA has granted a Part 450 reentry license, and licensed a commercial entity to land a spacecraft on U.S. soil,” Varda said in its statement about the license. “We are incredibly proud to have this opportunity with our government partners, and appreciate their dedication to safe innovation in the United States.”<br /><br />The conical capsule, about 90 centimeters across and 74 centimeters high, weighs less than 90 kilograms, as described in a section of an environmental assessment about the reentry. The capsule landing area is an ellipse 45 by 35 kilometers covering parts of UTTR and the neighboring Dugway Proving Ground. The main spacecraft would also reenter and burn up, with only small pieces surviving reentry.<br /><br />According to the environmental assessment, several ranges run by the Department of Defense in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah were considered as potential landing sites for the capsule, as they offered controlled access not available elsewhere, such as public lands maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. Only the UTTR/Dugway met all the requirements to safely return the capsule.<br /><br />The assessment noted that non-U.S. locations were ruled out from consideration for this mission because of the “time, uncertainty, and complexity associated with obtaining the necessary agreements” between the U.S. and the foreign government for the landing, as well as challenging shipping the capsule back to the United States.<br /><br />However, Varda announced in October an agreement with Southern Launch, a spaceport operator based in Adelaide, Australia, to host capsule returns at the Koonibba Test Range northwest of Adelaide. That range could be used for Varda’s second mission, scheduled for as soon as mid-2024.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-58787922899987259932024-02-09T18:18:00.000-08:002024-02-09T18:18:14.265-08:00Satellite operators join forces to chase direct-to-smartphone opportunityA group of satellite operators have joined forces to push the fledgling direct-to-smartphone market to adopt services using their radiowaves, rather than spectrum derived from terrestrial mobile network operators. Viasat, Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Yahsat announced the creation of the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) Feb. 9, a non-profit aiming to harmonize Mobile Satellite Services for integrating with standardized devices. Together, they hold more than 100 megahertz of L- and S-band spectrum that they say could help extend terrestrial cellular networks worldwide. San Francisco-based Skylo says it has developed ground infrastructure technology that would enable satellite-based messaging from smartphones slated to roll out by the end of the year, using geostationary satellites operated by Viasat, Ligado, and Terrestar. “We have multiple partners including carriers and [original equipment manufacturers] conducting trials of SMS this quarter,” Skylo cofounder Tarun Gupta told SpaceNews via email. “We anticipate that carriers will integrate and roll out the service to users by the end of this year on new devices coming out.” MSSA wll advocate for policies, laws and regulations that would encourage widespread adoption of the service in alignment with standards widely used by the cellular industry, potentially enabling direct-to-smartphone users to roam across their networks.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrj2uatIwJOghYdd1MFCV7469mo2GLu-7duRhbJOBVY0bmfjoXOChiAsU51rkpKwtA2QOlhGxkTG2alI3vMC3sQ7pI2hfKBWfP0rCkk8f3eV2ftkPQ7CEmAQqGw4w_WqPlxnoEIvFVBy1j5Ail8o8nx4TLPW2tPRSBABQc66IZwdXOgIbinDncA5RHelE/s765/I-6%20F1%20satellite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="765" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrj2uatIwJOghYdd1MFCV7469mo2GLu-7duRhbJOBVY0bmfjoXOChiAsU51rkpKwtA2QOlhGxkTG2alI3vMC3sQ7pI2hfKBWfP0rCkk8f3eV2ftkPQ7CEmAQqGw4w_WqPlxnoEIvFVBy1j5Ail8o8nx4TLPW2tPRSBABQc66IZwdXOgIbinDncA5RHelE/s320/I-6%20F1%20satellite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;">An Airbus illustration of an I-6 F1 satellite launched in late 2021 to replenish Inmarsat L-band services now controlled by Viasat. Credit: Airbus</span></div><article class="post-345014 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-viasat entry" id="post-345014" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Iridium Communications, a global operator of Mobile Satellite Services that recently decided to move away from proprietary direct-to-direct network for an open network approach, is notably absent from the MSSA partnership.<br /><br />MSSA is led by Viasat chair and CEO Mark Dankberg.<br /><br />“Integrating satellite connectivity into consumer mobile devices is a transformative opportunity for the satellite industry,” Dankberg said in a news release.<br /><br />“As a coalition of leaders with a unified voice, MSSA will be a driving force in making this new marketplace a reality, while respecting the rights of nations to meaningfully engage and retain sovereignty in a rapidly growing space economy.”<br /><br />On the other side of the direct-to-smartphone market, players such as SpaceX, Lynk Global, and AST SpaceMobile see using cellular spectrum from mobile network operator partnerships as key to building a critical mass of subscribers.<br /><br />Their services would also reach unmodified smartphones already in consumer pockets. <br /><br />Lynk Global, which launched commercial services last year, says it is currently serving more than seven countries, including parts of Palau, the Cook Islands, and Solomon Islands.<br /><br />However, while Mobile Satellite Service operators already have widespread permission to beam their radio frequencies from space to devices, direct-to-smartphone players seeking to use cellular spectrum more broadly must overcome many interference concerns and regulatory hurdles.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-11628877720592439422024-02-06T10:24:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:24:33.618-08:00First Intuitive Machines lunar lander mission set for Feb. 14 launchIntuitive Machines and SpaceX have confirmed plans to launch the IM-1 lunar lander mission as soon as Feb. 14, pending a fueling test on the pad later this week. In a Feb. 5 statement, Intuitive Machines announced it was targeting a launch of its lander in a “multi-day window” that opens Feb. 14. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A is scheduled for 12:57 a.m. Eastern that day. The announcement came hours after a SpaceX official, speaking at a briefing about the upcoming launch of NASA’s PACE Earth science mission on another Falcon 9, confirmed that Feb. 14 date, which had been widely known in the industry but which neither NASA nor Intuitive Machines would disclose at a Jan. 31 briefing about the agency’s payloads on the lander. “Our Intuitive Machines launch is targeting Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day,” said Julianna Scheiman, director of civil satellite missions at SpaceX, at the Feb. 5 briefing. “We’re tracking well to a Feb. 14 launch.” One final milestone before that launch is a fueling test, or wet dress rehearsal, scheduled for Feb. 7. That is important for IM-1 since the lander needs to be loaded with liquid oxygen and methane propellants while on the launch pad shortly before launch, a procedure that required modifications to the infrastructure at LC-39A. “We’ll be performing essentially a tanking test, or wet dress rehearsal, for that spacecraft on Feb. 7,” she said, to confirm that the spacecraft can be fueled on the pad.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1lqkL82mY1SSjf2d5mJ01W2SlQ9dHZo0GMuPaYi_imoCzbKymZpwbwguBTvMCuwbpxaDPtQpjNPfkwr3EapV-LbQheuRyEXmb_TFJg1QKwL8zxJgs4ZSFCkVKCQBBiADeTVp082mP29WN0WdLFJi0abxbTgXYh7MjDNWdHmU9z9ZbVO-vCmknLDhdvU/s1034/IM-1%20lunar%20lander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1034" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1lqkL82mY1SSjf2d5mJ01W2SlQ9dHZo0GMuPaYi_imoCzbKymZpwbwguBTvMCuwbpxaDPtQpjNPfkwr3EapV-LbQheuRyEXmb_TFJg1QKwL8zxJgs4ZSFCkVKCQBBiADeTVp082mP29WN0WdLFJi0abxbTgXYh7MjDNWdHmU9z9ZbVO-vCmknLDhdvU/s320/IM-1%20lunar%20lander.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #783f04; color: #fcff01;">Intuitive Machines says its IM-1 lunar lander mission is scheduled for launch as soon as Feb. 14, with a tanking test scheduled for Feb. 7. Credit: SpaceX</span></div></span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-344118 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-launch-archive category-news-archive tag-clps tag-falcon-9 tag-intuitive-machines tag-lunar-lander tag-spacex entry" id="post-344118" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>While Intuitive Machines said in its statement that it had a multi-day window, Scheiman said the mission had a three-day window, with launch opportunities Feb. 14 through 16. Intuitive Machines previously stated that a launch any day in that window would set up a landing attempt on Feb. 22.<br /><br />The 675-kilogram lander, called Odysseus by the company, is carrying six payloads for NASA through a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) award valued at $118 million. It is also carrying six commercial payloads, ranging from sportswear company Columbia to artist Jeff Koons. The commercial payloads also include Eaglecam, a camera developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that will eject from the lander during its final descent to the surface to attempt to photograph the landing.<br /><br />If IM-1 is successful, it will be the first private mission to land softly on the moon after three previous failed attempts. The Beresheet lander by Israel’s SpaceIL crashed during its descent to the lunar surface in 2019, and the HAKUTO-R M1 lander from Japanese company ispace crashed attempting a landing in April 2023. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander suffered a propellant leak hours after its Jan. 8 launch that prevented the spacecraft from attempting a lunar landing.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-78297259509573902932024-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:002024-02-04T18:46:03.280-08:00NASA Earth science mission once slated for cancellation ready for launchA nearly billion-dollar mission to study the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere is ready to launch after surviving several cancellation attempts earlier in its development. A Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 Feb. 6 at 1:33 a.m. Eastern. The vehicle will place into sun-synchronous orbit NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, or PACE, spacecraft. PACE carries three instruments designed to study the ocean as well as clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere. Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), the primary instrument, will provide information on ocean color from ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths. It is accompanied by the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2) and Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone), which will provide data on atmospheric clouds and aerosols as well as support atmospheric correction of OCI data. “PACE is going to so profoundly advance our understanding about how our oceans work and how they are related to the broader Earth system and the changing climate,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth science division, at a Feb. 4 briefing about the mission. A key focus of PACE will be studying phytoplankton on the ocean surface. That includes being able to differentiate among phytoplankton species, said Jeremy Werdell, PACE project scientist. “Now we’ll know where the harmful ones are, where the beneficial ones are, where the beneficial ones are moving to.”<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrmFIep4BsMQrPP13GL6RvyWS6d2xJeWmd7wiznUG4nfZSozCxZyc_dPj1kV8GmyX9xXglGdTQSsv_jj6mcxt4eTPiwE6hhhztZzUsksHqnaRB0mHMA17-U7y8qUgsOj0jdwK-pt38vySmd4_1lUKRcXU4JtmKG6bPfrv76OKboRyiIxOQjNKv91RqEg/s1050/NASA%E2%80%99s%20PACE%20spacecraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1050" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrmFIep4BsMQrPP13GL6RvyWS6d2xJeWmd7wiznUG4nfZSozCxZyc_dPj1kV8GmyX9xXglGdTQSsv_jj6mcxt4eTPiwE6hhhztZzUsksHqnaRB0mHMA17-U7y8qUgsOj0jdwK-pt38vySmd4_1lUKRcXU4JtmKG6bPfrv76OKboRyiIxOQjNKv91RqEg/s320/NASA%E2%80%99s%20PACE%20spacecraft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: red;">NASA’s PACE spacecraft being encapsulated in the payload fairing of its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of a launch scheduled for as soon as Feb. 6. Credit: NASA GSFC/Denny Henry</span></div></span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-343668 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-launch-archive category-news-archive tag-earth-science tag-nasa entry" id="post-343668" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Scientists will complement PACE data with that from other Earth science missions, such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft. “SWOT tells us more about how the ocean moves, including the height of the sea. PACE is going to give us information on what’s living in those surface oceans,” said Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate adviser.<br /><br />Data from PACE will also help track different kinds of aerosols in the atmosphere, such as sea spray, smoke and desert dust. That is useful for monitoring air quality and its impacts on human health, interactions between the atmosphere and the ecosystem, and cloud formation. “It’s so dynamic, space is the only way you can possibly do this,” said Andy Sayer, PACE atmospheric scientist.<br /><br />PACE has a design life of three years, but St. Germain said NASA expects the mission to last longer, with enough consumables such as propellant on the 1,700-kilogram spacecraft to operate for at least a decade. “We’re hoping for a nice long life for PACE.”<br /><br />Once launched, PACE will go through a commissioning period expected to last 60 days, Werdell said at an earlier briefing Jan. 17, with “first light” data released after about 40 to 50 days. All the data from PACE will be publicly available with no exclusivity period for the mission’s science team.<br /><br />PACE, with a total cost including reserves of $964 million, became a target for budget cuts earlier in its development by the Trump administration. All four of its NASA budget proposals, for fiscal years 2018 through 2021, sought to cancel PACE. All four times Congress rejected the cut and restored funding to the mission.<br /><br />“It has been a long, strange trip,” Werdell said at the Feb. 4 briefing when asked about those proposed cancellations. “We were as confident as one could be that we would find ways to persevere. The community wanted all of this.”<br /><br />“One of the reasons we’re sitting here today is because there were many in our stakeholder community who understood the potential impact of PACE and supported us moving forward,” said St. Germain.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-86251646868345814892024-02-01T06:01:00.000-08:002024-02-01T06:01:03.197-08:00NASA workshop to examine options for Apophis asteroid missionNASA is hosting a workshop later this month to learn about options for low-cost missions to an asteroid that will make a close approach to the Earth in 2029, a move that has confused some scientists who believe a shelved smallsat mission can meet NASA’s needs. The Apophis 2029 Innovation Listening Workshop, to be held Feb. 7 at NASA Headquarters, will study what the agency calls “innovative approaches for a low-cost mission” to Apophis, a near Earth asteroid. Apophis will make a close flyby of the Earth in April 2029, passing closer to the Earth than the geostationary belt but posing no impact risk. The workshop will feature a public briefing followed by one-on-one discussions with interested organizations. NASA added that there are no solicitations or even a formal request for information associated with the workshop. The workshop is not being led by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, which hosts its planetary science activities as well as the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, but instead by NASA’s chief technologist within the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy. Lindley Johnson, NASA’s planetary defense officer, said at a Jan. 30 meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) that his office was supporting the workshop. “Their objective is to engage the public and private sectors in innovative, low-cost missions during the Earth flyby of Apophis,” he said. The focus of the workshop will be the one-on-one meetings, he said, for “small companies, nontraditional partners with NASA to present their ideas about how this could be done in a low-cost approach.”<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-FmSy3yFlCgttGcHq6fznOsBsF5xlt8FMMu8cRKj6R7cLzorGuKQeNmPsdBKhPyNnIi8ItQ0g1jXCehL312QG27DBCRcjdPhgfGVxoa0PZxT3aEqESmdqPWjIC1vXFZhJff8MUNp985_JdIpFXL6lnDWIGPRYEergJdXHZPyMOfJcJRdBtDLKkkcUPo/s538/janus%20spacecraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="538" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-FmSy3yFlCgttGcHq6fznOsBsF5xlt8FMMu8cRKj6R7cLzorGuKQeNmPsdBKhPyNnIi8ItQ0g1jXCehL312QG27DBCRcjdPhgfGVxoa0PZxT3aEqESmdqPWjIC1vXFZhJff8MUNp985_JdIpFXL6lnDWIGPRYEergJdXHZPyMOfJcJRdBtDLKkkcUPo/s320/janus%20spacecraft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #e69138; color: #0b5394;">NASA will put the completed Janus spacecraft into long-term storage with the hopes of potentially flying them on a future mission. Credit: Lockheed Martin</span></div></span><article class="post-232588 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-news-archive tag-apophis tag-janus tag-nasa entry" id="post-232588" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />NASA already has one mission to study Apophis. After the OSIRIS-REx mission delivered asteroid samples to Earth in September, the main spacecraft flew by Earth on an extended mission rechristened OSIRIS-APEX. It will rendezvous with Apophis immediately after the April 2029 flyby, studying it for the next 18 months. However, there is interest in sending a mission to Apophis before the Earth flyby to better understand what changes the gravitational forces of the flyby made to the asteroid.<br /><br />One proposal is to repurpose the two smallsats built for Janus, a NASA mission that would have sent the spacecraft on flybys of binary asteroids. Janus, part of the agency’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, was to launch as a secondary payload on the Psyche asteroid mission in 2022.<br /><br />However, when problems with Psyche delayed its launch by more than a year, Janus could no longer carry out its original mission. With no viable alternative missions possible launching with Psyche, NASA removed Janus from that launch and formally canceled the mission in July.<br /><br />The two spacecraft, already assembled and going through final testing when Psyche was delayed, are being prepared to go into long-term storage at NASA’s Langley Research Center, said Dan Scheeres, principal investigator for Janus at the University of Colorado, in an SBAG presentation Jan. 31. That involves partially disassembling the spacecraft to store batteries, solar panels, propulsion system and instruments separately: “You just can’t put it into a box and ship it.”<br /><br />The Janus team has looked at alternative missions for the spacecraft that include going to Apophis. Several options are available, he said, with trajectories that take the spacecraft out to the Earth-sun L-2 Lagrange point followed by a lunar flyby to set up an Apophis flyby “well in advance” of the asteroid’s close approach to the Earth. “It’s still in our wheelhouse,” he said.<br /><br />The Janus spacecraft carry optical and infrared instruments designed for “fast flyby science” that would include Apophis, he said, comparing it to the flyby of a small main belt asteroid, Dinkinesh, by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft in November. Once in storage, the spacecraft could be reassembled, tested and launched in about 18 months.<br /><br />The challenge, he and other said at the SBAG meeting, was funding. NASA’s planetary programs are in what Scheeres called a “no new start” situation where the agency is not starting any new missions, including one that would use the repurposed Janus spacecraft.<br /><br />“We recognize that the 2029 close approach of Apophis really presents a unique opportunity,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division, at the SBAG meeting Jan. 30. “Our budget situation is really, really challenging, and that is a reality that we have to live within.”<br /><br />She said that the Janus team had briefed her on using the spacecraft for an Apophis flyby. “That is one of the many ideas that have come to us,” she said, but returned to the budget issues. “You can have the will, but without the funding it makes it really challenging.”<br /><br />Some scientists at the SBAG meeting wondered why, given the Janus option but also the budget constraints, why NASA was holding the workshop at all, rather than find a way to repurpose Janus for an Apophis flyby.<br /><br />Thomas Statler, a program scientist in the planetary science division, said at SBAG Jan. 31 that the agency knows there are multiple ideas for an Apophis flyby mission. “The agency doesn’t want to take a stance where it appears unreceptive to a good idea,” he said. “That is the motivation for the listening workshop.”<br /><br />Scheeres said he planned to attend the Apophis workshop and meet with agency officials to “make sure they are fully aware of what they will be sitting on.”</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-51695238575438534372024-01-28T15:59:00.000-08:002024-01-28T15:59:16.327-08:00Cygnus ready for first launch on Falcon 9A Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, a combination that required more changes to the rocket than to the spacecraft. NASA announced at a Jan. 26 briefing that it was targeting Jan. 30 at 12:07 p.m. Eastern for the launch of the NG-20 cargo mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. That is a one-day slip from previous plans, which the agency said was to “accommodate launch pad readiness.” If Cygnus launches that day, it will arrive at the International Space Station early Feb. 1. The launch marks the first time Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft has flown on Falcon 9. All previous launches of Cygnus have been on Northrop’s own Antares launch vehicle with the exception of two missions that launched on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 after an Antares launch failure in 2014. Northrop plans to launch at least three Cygnus missions on Falcon 9 rockets as it works with Firefly Aerospace on a new version of the Antares, replacing the Ukrainian-built first stage powered by Russian engines with a stage developed by Firefly using its own engines. That vehicle, the Antares 330, is slated to begin launches as soon as mid-2025. The shift to the Falcon 9 has been relatively smooth for Northrop. “We didn’t really have to make any modifications to the Cygnus,” said Cyrus Dhalla, vice president and general manager of tactical space systems at Northrop Grumman, during the briefing. The company did make minor changes to the cargo loading process, which he attributed to doing it in a new facility with different equipment.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtHnf8-apgyT1z_ufhigsmVMmPo6ZEgdxdyJk6xLaTwTmPl0jlwjZg5CRBhn5GwvhfyZkfyLpvQd_ANO8TKQ5p1-ZJiJq7vmrcf0VxDysw79Ghix-eCwNQ9yNJkQE98aSNS3ACPHj002sG8O6Q4rEl1SzWO2Xic2vlKhlzyfAWc-xwtq_yJ9De6akfe4/s812/NG-20%20Cygnus%20cargo%20spacecraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="812" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtHnf8-apgyT1z_ufhigsmVMmPo6ZEgdxdyJk6xLaTwTmPl0jlwjZg5CRBhn5GwvhfyZkfyLpvQd_ANO8TKQ5p1-ZJiJq7vmrcf0VxDysw79Ghix-eCwNQ9yNJkQE98aSNS3ACPHj002sG8O6Q4rEl1SzWO2Xic2vlKhlzyfAWc-xwtq_yJ9De6akfe4/s320/NG-20%20Cygnus%20cargo%20spacecraft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #444444;">The NG-20 Cygnus cargo spacecraft being encapsulated for launch on a Falcon 9. Credit: SpaceX</span></div></span><article class="post-231558 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-launch-archive category-news-archive tag-cygnus tag-falcon-9 tag-iss tag-northrop-grumman tag-spacex entry" id="post-231558" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The shift in launch vehicles doesn’t alter the capabilities of the Cygnus, he added. The NG-20 mission will carry a little more than 3,700 kilograms of cargo, the capacity of the current version of the vehicle.<br /><br />SpaceX, though, did have to make changes to accommodate Cygnus, specifically its ability for “late load” of cargo within 24 hours of launch. The Antares has a “pop top” opening at the top of the rocket’s payload fairing, allowing access to the Cygnus inside for cargo loading after the spacecraft has been encapsulated.<br /><br />To provide a similar late load capability for Falcon 9 launches of Cygnus, SpaceX created what Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX, called a “gigadoor” in the fairing of the Falcon 9. That is a door 1.5 by 1.2 meters in the side of the fairing that can be opened to provide environmentally controlled access to the Cygnus inside.<br /><br />“This will be the first time we’ve done that,” he said, as SpaceX’s own Dragon spacecraft launches without a fairing. “It’s taken a lot of modifications on our part to get this hardware ready to go fly.” He added that putting the door in the payload fairing does not affect SpaceX’s ability to recover and reuse it.<br /><br />“We really appreciate how SpaceX has worked with us to accommodate the flow of cargo and integration, and we’ve been able to reuse a lot of our procedures,” Dhalla said.<br /><br />Besides the development of the payload fairing door for Cygnus launches, SpaceX has been testing modifications to its transporter erector at Launch Complex 39A, enabling it to load liquid methane and oxygen propellants. That is required for the upcoming launch of the IM-1 lunar lander by Intuitive Machines, which will be fueled on the pad, inside the payload fairing, shortly before launch.<br /><br />Gerstenmaier said SpaceX was doing testing of that equipment to ensure it is ready for the IM-1 launch, currently projected for mid-February. “That work is pretty much on track,” he said. “It’s a lot of interesting integration but, as you see even with this Northrop Grumman 20 mission, we at SpaceX like to do innovative and creative things.”</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-38590346715595138932024-01-24T10:50:00.000-08:002024-01-24T10:50:30.444-08:00Orbit Fab and ClearSpace to develop in-space refueling serviceOn-orbit refueling startup Orbit Fab and in-space servicing specialist ClearSpace announced a multifaceted partnership Jan. 24. Initially, the companies will work together to pair an Orbit Fab fuel depot with a ClearSpace shuttle. “Customers can buy fuel from Orbit Fab and have it delivered by our partners like ClearSpace,” Daniel Faber, Orbit Fab founded founder and CEO, told SpaceNews. Over the long term, Orbit Fab and ClearSpace executives see additional opportunities to work together on mission extension, transportation and other mobility and logistics services. “Our initial goal is to put our Orbit Fab and ClearSpace hardware together, put it through its paces, and get that platform into orbit in the next two years,” Faber said. Orbit Fab has not ruled out the possibility of building its own fuel shuttles. The company is taking a “collaborative and open approach to building fuel shuttles, systems and solutions to fuel and refuel the bustling space economy,” Faber said. After working with ClearSpace on a U.K.-funded active debris removal (ADR) mission, Orbit Fab and ClearSpace executives realized the companies could rapidly build a refueling service that “leverages what ClearSpace is doing and means Orbit Fab can move faster,” Faber said.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTc3LZQXktTSGWQABuifoFCf9gyyfQSmdBXZf8YC1_A9y822e07cMnybVY65Tcl6Do-kJDd3CjbZG5v53juq84qcHwU0OM8EhsJoGFiXnQTTvL3D2eOvMSHNNRoFqVKNrPF-Bu20XpgxAFuojJcP89YsrHaYmZukrHHadJkXR6VWxfEj3QDkPzwi7tRw/s783/Artist's%20render%20of%20a%20ClearSpace%20service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="783" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTc3LZQXktTSGWQABuifoFCf9gyyfQSmdBXZf8YC1_A9y822e07cMnybVY65Tcl6Do-kJDd3CjbZG5v53juq84qcHwU0OM8EhsJoGFiXnQTTvL3D2eOvMSHNNRoFqVKNrPF-Bu20XpgxAFuojJcP89YsrHaYmZukrHHadJkXR6VWxfEj3QDkPzwi7tRw/s320/Artist's%20render%20of%20a%20ClearSpace%20service.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #666666; color: #ffa400; font-size: x-small;">Artist's render of a ClearSpace servicer using an Orbit Fab payload to refuel a client satellite. Credit: ClearSpace and Orbit Fab</span><article class="post-230501 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-clearspace tag-europe tag-in-orbit-servicing tag-orbit-fab tag-uk entry" id="post-230501" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><b>New Global Markets</b><br /><br />The partnership with Orbit Fab extends ClearSpace’s presence geographically. Established in Switzerland, ClearSpace has operations in the U.K. and U.S.<br /><br />“We’re in very complementary situations with Orbit Fab having its foundations here in the U.S. and ClearSpace having its foundations in Europe and in the U.K.,” said Tim Maclay, ClearSpace chief strategy officer and U.S. general manager.<br /><br />In addition, “we see Orbit Fab as being in an adjacent market and developing a very complementary set of services to ours,” Maclay said.<br /><br />Orbit Fab’s expertise is in fuel transfer. The company’s RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) refueling valve and GRIP robotic docking devices are being integrated on partner spacecraft.<br /><br />ClearSpace has developed vision system and rendezvous and proximity operation capabilities.<br /><br />ClearSpace won a European Space Agency contract to remove a Vespa payload adapter from orbit. Under a U.K. Space Agency contract, ClearSpace is designing a mission to capture two inactive U.K. satellites.<br /><br />Orbit Fab, meanwhile, won a contract to provide hydrazine for the U.S. Space Force Tetra-5 spacecraft. The ClearSpace satellite for the U.K. ADR mission includes Orbit Fab’s RAFTI.</div><div><br /><b>In-Space Services</b><br /><br />“We’re seeing a tremendous amount of interest in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. in mission extension, refueling and transport,” Maclay said. “Services having to do with mobility and logistics are really coming to the forefront.”<br /><br />Luc Piguet, ClearSpace co-founder and CEO, called Orbit Fab “the clear leader in satellite refueling.”<br /><br />“ClearSpace is excited to partner with them as we explore possibilities for advancing new servicing and refueling capabilities that will ultimately benefit everyone participating in the space economy and beyond,” Piquet added in a statement.<br /><br />“ClearSpace is developing key technologies that will unlock opportunities for last-mile fuel delivery in both GEO and LEO,” Faber said in a statement. “We’re delighted to see our collaboration with ClearSpace push the boundaries of what is possible today.”</div></div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-24421415721152471382024-01-21T15:39:00.000-08:002024-01-21T15:39:02.739-08:00Google and AT&T join $155 million AST SpaceMobile investmentGoogle and AT&T have joined a $155 million strategic investment in AST SpaceMobile, which is set to raise double that to help fund its direct-to-smartphone connectivity constellation. The strategic investment also includes funds from existing shareholder Vodafone, one of Europe’s largest telcos with a significant presence across Africa. It comes alongside AST SpaceMobile’s plans to draw up to $51.5 million from an existing debt facility and raise at least $100 million by selling discounted shares. The capital injection will support AST SpaceMobile’s ambitions to deploy commercial services this year as the venture prepares to start producing spacecraft that would be twice as big as its first five 1,500-kilogram operational BlueBird satellites, known as Block 1 and slated to launch on a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 before the end of March. AST SpaceMobile has said each follow-on Block 2 BlueBird would have 10 times more capacity than a Block 1 satellite to deliver more performance for the low Earth orbit constellation, designed to enable AT&T, Vodafone, and other terrestrial mobile network partners to keep subscribers connected outside cell tower coverage. BlueWalker-3, the Texas-based venture’s 1,500-kilogram prototype, achieved download rates of around 14 megabits per second during tests in September. Those tests also saw BlueWalker-3 relay a brief 5G phone call to an ordinary smartphone in a cellular dead zone for the first time.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOp4doAdzSXk49iCZAb3jhH1tRZNTXl27ROefOSBjpIYVkj1ArFNL8B1W-1bPL1Z-ai7KJbnzeDfhlPiHDhm2_NLclWWR-XvUaTohUro20HNUSOkVq2VCUo4RrFooxXShzeNoX9QtpC2pEftE6g5ePbyFpFJ9fWyoA3eMsDtUlWQCOgsRIIXHyA48ub0/s959/BlueWalker-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="959" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOp4doAdzSXk49iCZAb3jhH1tRZNTXl27ROefOSBjpIYVkj1ArFNL8B1W-1bPL1Z-ai7KJbnzeDfhlPiHDhm2_NLclWWR-XvUaTohUro20HNUSOkVq2VCUo4RrFooxXShzeNoX9QtpC2pEftE6g5ePbyFpFJ9fWyoA3eMsDtUlWQCOgsRIIXHyA48ub0/s320/BlueWalker-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #ffa400; color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">BlueWalker 3 has a 64-square-meter antenna, the largest deployed commercially in low Earth orbit. Credit: AST SpaceMobile</span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-229551 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-ast-spacemobile tag-direct-to-device tag-google tag-vodafone entry" id="post-229551" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>AST SpaceMobile said in August that the five Block 1 BlueBirds were fully funded after taking out $115 million in debt.<br /><br />AST SpaceMobile raised $417 million in 2021 by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a deal that brought the seven-year-old company to the Nasdaq stock exchange. The group has raised more capital since then, but has also quickly burnt through cash amid production delays and cost overruns that weighed on its share price<br /><br />The venture priced its $100 million stock sale at $3.10 per share Jan. 18, a 25.5% discount over where the shares traded the previous day — and far from the $11.81 price reached at the end of their first day of trading April 7, 2021.<br /><br />The equity offering is due to close next week, AST SpaceMobile said, and $15 million more could be raised if its underwriter opts to buy all shares on the table.<br /><br /><b>Strategic partnerships</b><br /><br />Most of the strategic investment announced Jan. 18, $110 million worth, is in the form of a debt instrument that pays interest to Google, AT&T, and Vodafone, but could also later be converted into shares in AST SpaceMobile.<br /><br />AT&T and Vodafone also agreed to make $20 million and $25 million in prepayments, respectively, for a future AST SpaceMobile commercial service as part of their investment.<br /><br />AT&T’s revenue commitment is tied to the successful operations of the first five BlueBirds, suggesting the U.S.-based telco was behind a recent decision to launch them to an inclination better suited to serving North America.<br /><br />The telecoms giant has also been supporting AST SpaceMobile’s push for regulatory approvals in the United States, where direct-to-smartphone competitors such as SpaceX and Lynk Global are also waiting for permission to provide commercial services.<br /><br />The revenue commitment from U.K.-based Vodafone is subject to a definitive agreement that remains undisclosed.<br /><br />According to AST SpaceMobile, five BlueBirds are enough for intermittent connectivity services, suitable for government and commercial device monitoring applications, but 90 are needed for a 5G broadband service that ultimately includes voice and data capabilities.<br /><br />The satellite operator said Vodafone and AT&T have also placed orders for network equipment for an undisclosed amount to support future commercial services.<br /><br />The investment from Google, which is behind the Android operating system used in more than two-thirds of mobile devices worldwide, comes with an agreement to collaborate with AST SpaceMoblie on product development, testing, and implementation plans.<br /><br />Competitor Lynk Global is also in the middle of raising a significant chunk of capital after launching partial commercial services with three satellites in parts of the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, and Palau.<br /><br />The Falls Church, Virginia-based venture is considering joining AST SpaceMobile on the public market by merging with Slam Corp., a SPAC led by former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez.<br /><br />SpaceX said last week it had successfully relayed text messages to and from unmodified smartphones for the first time after launching an initial batch of satellites to test the capability.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-61349658648082088312024-01-18T00:50:00.000-08:002024-01-18T00:50:29.629-08:00Astroscale reveals concept of operations for its in-orbit refueling vehicleAstroscale is developing an in-space refueling vehicle that will shuttle back and forth between a fuel depot in geostationary Earth orbit and a client satellite. The refueling vehicle will carry and transfer hydrazine to its client spacecraft, “rather than the client having to maneuver to a fuel depot, allowing client operations to continue uninterrupted,” the company said Jan. 17. Astroscale, headquartered in Japan with a U.S. subsidiary based in Colorado, is a provider of space services to extend the life of satellites. The company last year won a $25.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to develop a refueling vehicle. Under the private-public partnership agreement, the project will get an additional $12 million in funding from Astroscale and its suppliers. Named APS-R, for Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling, the vehicle will be a small satellite about the size of a gas pump, designed to conduct multiple refueling missions in GEO. APS-R will rendezvous and dock with a fuel depot operated by Orbit Fab, a startup developing so-called gas stations in space. The company is working on a hydrazine fueling station to be deployed 36,000 kilometers above Earth, partly funded by a $13.3 million contract from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. The client satellite receiving fuel will be Astroscale’s Life Extension In-Orbit (LEXI), designed to perform life extension services in geostationary orbit. Astroscale two years ago announced plans to launch LEXI in 2026 and signed an agreement with Orbit Fab for refueling services. In its Jan. 17 announcement, Astroscale said it plans to deliver the APS-R by 2026.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtxdTdroVAffWJX7Y6waJ0PmMpppCeWri_56tfARoM146osGKBmz3_kl1eeTtFnAIdYp_TUyt5fGJQxPIKPDS62ZThJkQVljTU53lJDw5xrTagud4VIrjxYSGGWuIRZprCUr4lrEplXKSwulgesaIyJcKbLxZ5q5xXg7WLMBCMzIpxUASRAKeL6mnCs/s1151/Astroscale%20(concept%20of%20operations).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1151" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtxdTdroVAffWJX7Y6waJ0PmMpppCeWri_56tfARoM146osGKBmz3_kl1eeTtFnAIdYp_TUyt5fGJQxPIKPDS62ZThJkQVljTU53lJDw5xrTagud4VIrjxYSGGWuIRZprCUr4lrEplXKSwulgesaIyJcKbLxZ5q5xXg7WLMBCMzIpxUASRAKeL6mnCs/s320/Astroscale%20(concept%20of%20operations).jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><br /><b>Satellite to be manufactured in Texas</b><br /><br />The refueler will be an ESPA-class satellite, a ring-shaped platform that attaches to the primary payload on a launch vehicle. ESPA is short for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter. <br /><br />Astroscale envisions deploying the LEXI client vehicle in a GEO orbit about 300 kilometers below Orbit Fab’s orbiting fuel depot. <br /><br />APS-R will be manufactured at the Southwest Research Institute’s new smallsat assembly facility in San Antonio, Texas. Both the APS-R and LEXI will use Orbit Fab’s refueling ports to ensure they can dock properly.<br /><br />“This innovation in on-orbit servicing will ultimately extend the range and mobility of satellites in orbit, allowing the U.S. Space Force to do more with their operational assets,” said Ron Lopez, president and managing director of Astroscale U.S.<br /><br />Col. Joyce Bulson, leader of the Space Force’s space mobility and logistics program, said the collaboration with Astroscale “signifies a bold step forward in our efforts to secure and strengthen the U.S. Space Force’s position in an ever-evolving space domain, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and ensuring the sustainability of our space assets.”</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-88972718234520761482024-01-16T03:06:00.000-08:002024-01-16T03:06:43.199-08:00SDA to acquire satellites with custom payloads to enable faster targeting on battlefieldsThe Space Development Agency is gearing up for its next procurement of satellites for a military communications network known as the Transport Layer Tranche 2. SDA, an agency under the U.S. Space Force, plans to acquire 20 satellites carrying a new type of payload to transmit targeting information. SDA documents describe the payload, dubbed Warlock, as a communications node “specifically designed to close future kill chains.” Unlike other payloads acquired by SDA, which are commercially available, Warlock will have to be developed “for space systems to provide fire control solutions.” The description suggests the Gamma satellite program is pursuing advanced data-relay technologies to reduce sensor-to-shooter timelines, or the crucial flow of information in modern military operations, which requires real-time intelligence and rapid decision-making. The new procurement is called Transport Layer Tranche 2 Gamma. The agency on Jan. 10 announced it is holding a classified briefing for contractors next month in Chantilly, Virginia, to discuss details of the program. According to a draft solicitation, SDA intends to select one vendor to supply all 20 Tranche 2 Gamma satellites. A final request for proposals is expected to be released this spring.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGZPIZGUGwwxhMLhHbqTWGnPHZo_cHnO5lU-3IjBCmUYOfRHufvikZVb4A_te4V6FG94XSISTZTThqkurfVAGhqHa7cHquFxt99R8TbuIo83gMosWBLVsRm7Nhno9FOhfoe5xpl8AkLxveVQ2h721HyAn6XsuQX9LAAkUSIy8KroQX3FV1B7WiM02dck/s1136/Space%20Development%20Agency's%20Transport%20Layer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1136" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGZPIZGUGwwxhMLhHbqTWGnPHZo_cHnO5lU-3IjBCmUYOfRHufvikZVb4A_te4V6FG94XSISTZTThqkurfVAGhqHa7cHquFxt99R8TbuIo83gMosWBLVsRm7Nhno9FOhfoe5xpl8AkLxveVQ2h721HyAn6XsuQX9LAAkUSIy8KroQX3FV1B7WiM02dck/s320/Space%20Development%20Agency's%20Transport%20Layer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><b>Proliferated tactical network</b><br /><br />The agency is building a large mesh network of military satellites in low Earth orbit known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The Transport Layer will serve as a tactical network to move data to users around the world. <br /><br />SDA has already ordered 190 satellites for the portion of the architecture known as the Transport Layer Tranche 2 — 100 “Alpha” satellites to be manufactured by Northrop Grumman and York Space Systems, and 90 “Beta” satellites to be produced by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Rocket Lab USA. <br /><br />The agency said all Transport Layer satellites will have at least three optical laser links, Ka-band communications relays and other networking payloads. But only the 20 Gamma satellites will have four optical terminals and the Warlock payload.<br /><br />SDA said it’s buying just 20 satellites carrying the Warlock payload to “demonstrate an operational capability for proliferation in future tranches.”<br /><br />The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture is a web of hundreds of small satellites in low Earth orbit that promises secure, high-bandwidth communications for warfighters on the ground, transforming how they share information and coordinate strikes.<br /><br />The payloads envisioned for the Gamma satellites point to a future where the U.S. military relies increasingly on space-based sensors rather than aircraft to identify and track targets in contested battle spaces. In scenarios where rival anti-aircraft threats inhibit the deployment of manned and unmanned aerial intelligence platforms, satellites would provide persistent overhead surveillance even in denied environments. <br /><br />By networking space-based sensors through laser cross-links between the satellites, SDA plans to overcome traditional limitations getting data to where it needs to go, agency leaders have said. Technologies like Warlock would enable rapid transmission and handoff so military commanders on the ground can react quickly to emerging situations and adjust targeting plans as needed.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-43361195554744257882024-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:002024-01-14T07:57:41.479-08:00Japan launches IGS-Optical 8 reconnaissance satelliteJapan launched a new optical reconnaissance satellite late Thursday to boost the country’s remote sensing capabilities. A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-2A rocket in a figuration with a pair of SRB-A3 solid boosters lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan at 11:44 p.m. Eastern (0444 UTC Jan. 12). MHI confirmed separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle half an hour later. Aboard was the IGS-Optical 8 (Information Gathering Satellite) optical reconnaissance satellite. The satellite is expected to enter a roughly circular 500-kilometer altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). IGS-Optical 8 is reported to be both for tracking North Korean military activities and for civilian purposes including monitoring natural disasters. Japan’s Cabinet Satellite Information Center operate IGS satellites. The satellite series service Japan’s national defense and civil remote sensing needs. The launch was Japan’s first of 2024 and the 48th overall of the H-2A. Just two more launches of the rocket remain before its retirement. The first launch took place in August 2021. It suffered a launch failure in November 2003, resulting in the loss of an IGS satellite.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtoQKiLtoVLU1nHk_f0f8z4Xw6JoA_dv5TksuGL9Z9rzwC3Vh8FJiPW2iITeuL60XmM5KPT1C1xYicu6-u7WPiH3-7QOM6ninMFreCJ-8RWHts-eCzbC-MYvUWjNYVqBALJ1w6RIiGlPI-EHQXGNVRLakBaj4mpaHjxPHkOFX1XcyiTp9dKzRJIkJlxE/s1135/H-2A%20rocket%20lifts%20off%20from%20Tanegashima%20space%20center%20carrying%20the%20IGS-Optical%208%20satellite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1135" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtoQKiLtoVLU1nHk_f0f8z4Xw6JoA_dv5TksuGL9Z9rzwC3Vh8FJiPW2iITeuL60XmM5KPT1C1xYicu6-u7WPiH3-7QOM6ninMFreCJ-8RWHts-eCzbC-MYvUWjNYVqBALJ1w6RIiGlPI-EHQXGNVRLakBaj4mpaHjxPHkOFX1XcyiTp9dKzRJIkJlxE/s320/H-2A%20rocket%20lifts%20off%20from%20Tanegashima%20space%20center%20carrying%20the%20IGS-Optical%208%20satellite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;">A H-2A rocket lifts off from Tanegashima space center Jan. 12 (UTC), 2024, carrying the IGS-Optical 8 satellite. Credit: MHI/via X</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KMwSv5Pt_6M" width="320" youtube-src-id="KMwSv5Pt_6M"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The previous H-2A mission launched the XRISM X-ray observatory and SLIM lunar lander. JAXA and NASA are currently troubleshooting XRISM. SLIM will begin its moon landing attempt at 10:00 a.m. Eastern (1500 UTC) Jan. 19.<br /><br />The final launches of the IGS-Radar 8 and Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-2 (GOSAT-2) are scheduled to fly separately on the final two H-2A rockets later this year.</div><div><br /></div><br /><b>H3 flight 2 next month</b><br /><br />JAXA and MHI are currently preparing for the second launch of the new-generation, expendable H3 launch vehicle. The H3 is the planned successor to the H-2 series.<br /><br />The first failed in March 2023 with the loss of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-3 (ALOS-3). That launch saw the second stage fail to ignite, triggering the launch vehicle’s flight termination system.<br /><br />The second launch, from Tanegashima, will carry a dummy payload. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:22 p.m. Eastern Jan. 14 (0022 UTC Jan. 15). The launch period for H3 Test Flight No. 2 extends through the end of March. <br /><br />The failure of the first H3 launch has led JAXA to delay the launch of its Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX). The mission aims to collect samples from the Martian moon Phobos and return them to Earth. <br /><br />MMX was due to launch on an H3 in September this year. It will instead launch during the following Mars launch window, some 26 months later, in 2026, once the H3 has proved its reliability. A 2026 launch would see the samples collected from Phobos reach Earth in 2031.<br /><br />JAXA is working on plans for a new, large and reusable launch vehicle as the core of its future space transportation plans. The agency is considering liquid methane as the fuel for the rocket.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-6677773444287148982024-01-14T00:06:00.000-08:002024-01-14T00:06:40.128-08:00SpaceX says propellant venting caused loss of second StarshipSpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk says a propellant dump caused the destruction of the Starship upper stage on a November test flight, giving him confidence that the vehicle can reach orbit on its next launch. On that Nov. 18 launch, the Starship upper stage, or ship, was nearing the end of its burn to place it on a long suborbital trajectory when contact was lost. Hosts of the SpaceX webcast said it appeared the automated flight termination system was activated, but did not give a reason why, and the company provided few details since. At a recent event at SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, video of which SpaceX posted on social media Jan. 12, Musk said the failure was linked to venting liquid oxygen propellant near the end of the burn. That venting, he said, was needed only because the vehicle was not carrying any payload. “Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit,” he said. “If it had a payload, it would have made it to orbit because the reason that it actually didn’t quite make it to orbit was we vented the liquid oxygen, and the liquid oxygen ultimately led to a fire and an explosion.” That venting, he said, would have been unnecessary if the ship had a payload, presumably because it would have been consumed by the Raptor engines on the vehicle in order to reach orbit. He didn’t elaborate on how the venting triggered the fire, or discuss the explosion of the Super Heavy stage shortly after stage separation.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq-JGw2S1K3TVDvf7VuAIHm8klI2fLnYDSvYhqaXCJE5iPg4FZy_yg6Z9N8yh4SfU_UOA_T0TtwsyDFhlk68Rlvq0v3P4m9RFDwMVPD2yuL2QcmnffzRfAF8JW1QlAUe3jj6ZGsKJxxda-WJoswiVzUSMBmo2-hOhXHoZb7WZcJfBuxDLqNFE1Y4-qpk/s1038/Starship%20upper%20stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1038" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq-JGw2S1K3TVDvf7VuAIHm8klI2fLnYDSvYhqaXCJE5iPg4FZy_yg6Z9N8yh4SfU_UOA_T0TtwsyDFhlk68Rlvq0v3P4m9RFDwMVPD2yuL2QcmnffzRfAF8JW1QlAUe3jj6ZGsKJxxda-WJoswiVzUSMBmo2-hOhXHoZb7WZcJfBuxDLqNFE1Y4-qpk/s320/Starship%20upper%20stage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #ea9999; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Starship upper stage separates from the Super Heavy booster on a November 2023 launch. Credit: SpaceX</div></span><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-227913 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-launch-archive category-news-archive tag-elon-musk tag-falcon-9 tag-spacex tag-starship entry" id="post-227913" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Musk said that failure mode gave him confidence for the next Starship test flight. “I think we’ve got a really good shot of reaching orbit with Flight 3,” he said.<br /><br />That third flight is currently projected for February, SpaceX’s Jessica Jensen during a Jan. 9 NASA briefing, pending receipt of an updated launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration. Musk described a more ambitious flight plan for the mission with additional tests of Starship.<br /><br />“We want to get to orbit and we want to do an in-space engine burn from the header tank” at the top of the vehicle, he said. Doing so would “prove that we can</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-52982746935431855552024-01-09T15:14:00.000-08:002024-01-09T15:14:27.543-08:00China launches “lobster eye” Einstein Probe to unveil mysteries of X-ray universeChina launched its Einstein Probe early Tuesday to detect X-ray emissions from violent, fleeting cosmic phenomena using novel lobster eye-inspired optics. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China at 2:03 a.m. (0703 UTC), Jan. 9. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) confirmed launch success within the hour. The Einstein Probe (EP) is part of growing Chinese strategic space science efforts. The spacecraft will spend at least three years observing distant, violent interactions such as tidal disruption events—in which stars are pulled apart by supermassive black holes—supernovae, and detect and localize the high-energy, electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events. By picking up soft band X-ray emissions from stars being ripped apart by massive black holes, the probe could provide new insights into how stellar matter falls into black holes and the complex and rare phenomena of formations of jets of ionized matter emitted by the events. The 1,450-kilogram EP spacecraft will operate in a 600-kilometer altitude, 29 degree inclination orbit. From there it will observe the sky with a Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT). WXT uses cutting edge “lobster eye” optics to allow the probe to view X-ray events more deeply and widely than previously possible. It follows a demonstration of a novel lobster eye optics module mission launched late 2022.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdM_9rmCf_-73HPGkiFcT77OPkNuxijmQFPKDaZupWDt5AmuMqKm74ZuUeW_5iKJsaor0HbGY5vqK0E9Jmd_FlouqTrtu8mGKH-quokrNRU4WH4ec5MDkgldfyIrmmuvBSMFaYkM63xNXcaofJHAqA8zvBEutSuDFMjLiQrNJ2ceQMAHlZK60v5mfXj0/s1200/Einstein%20Probe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdM_9rmCf_-73HPGkiFcT77OPkNuxijmQFPKDaZupWDt5AmuMqKm74ZuUeW_5iKJsaor0HbGY5vqK0E9Jmd_FlouqTrtu8mGKH-quokrNRU4WH4ec5MDkgldfyIrmmuvBSMFaYkM63xNXcaofJHAqA8zvBEutSuDFMjLiQrNJ2ceQMAHlZK60v5mfXj0/s320/Einstein%20Probe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>WXT combines 12 of the modules tested in 2022 to provide a field of view of 3,600 square degrees. The instrument uses a reflection technique, inspired by lobsters’ eyes, consisting of parallel square pores arranged on a sphere. The multitudes of square tubes guide X-rays down to a CMOS light detector.<br /><br />The European Space Agency contributed to the mission with support for the testing and calibrating of the detectors and optical elements of the WXT. <br /><br />ESA ground stations will also be involved in data download from EP. The mission will also utilize China’s Beidou navigation satellite constellation to allow rapid relay of alert data to the ground.<br /><br />“The strength of Einstein Probe is to observe almost the entire night sky in about 5 hours with great sensitivity, thanks to the lobster-eye technique,” Erik Kuulkers, ESA Project Scientist, told SpaceNews. “It is thus able to catch any unpredictable transient event in X-ray light.”<br /><br />“Powered by tumultuous cosmic events, X-ray light from astronomical sources is very unpredictable. Yet, it carries fundamental information about some of the most enigmatic objects and phenomena in our Universe,” Kuulkers explains. <br /><br />“X-rays are associated with collisions between neutron stars, supernova explosions, matter falling onto black holes or hyper-dense stars, or high-energy particles being spewed out from discs of blazing material circling such exotic and mysterious objects.”<br /><br />EP features onboard data processing and autonomous followup capabilities. This means the probe’s Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT)—a narrower view, yet more sensitive instrument developed in collaboration with Europe—can be quickly brought to bear after WXT detects an X-ray event.<br /><br />Kuulkers adds that by enabling scientists to promptly study these short-lived events, EP will help identify the origin of many of the gravitational wave impulses that are being observed on Earth thanks to the emerging field of gravitational wave astronomy.<br /><br />Kuulkers states that ESA will get access to 10% of the data generated by EP in return for the agency’s contributions to the mission. Data will be distributed to the European Einstein Probe Science Team members. <br /><br />“Their interest is diverse, from auroral emission on Jupiter, to star-planet Interactions through X-ray observations, to outbursts on isolated neutron stars or in binary stars with a neutron star companion, and to the unstable swallowing of matter by supermassive black hole in other galaxies.”<br /><br />EP could also provide insight into other phenomena including magnetars, active galactic nuclei, red shifted gamma-ray bursts, and the interactions between comets and solar wind ions.<br /><br />China began launching dedicated space science missions in 2015 with its DAMPE dark matter probe. The mission was part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Strategic Priority Program (SPP). EP was approved in 2017 as part of a second phase of the SPP. <br /><br />A broader, third round of SPP missions are currently under consideration by CAS. Proposals include a Venus orbiter, a constellation of lunar small sats, exoplanet-hunting telescopes, an asteroid sample return and more. Final selections have however been delayed without explanations.<br /><br />The Sino-Franco Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is also planned for launch in Spring 2024. </div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-48349897090382320042024-01-06T18:30:00.000-08:002024-01-06T19:04:57.661-08:00India’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory enters orbit around Lagrange pointIndia’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory has reached its destination orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Aditya-L1 entered orbit around Sun-Earth L1 at around 5:30 a.m. Eastern (1230 UTC) Jan. 6, following a burn by the spacecraft’s engines, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced via X/Twitter. The spacecraft is the country’s first dedicated mission to study the Sun. Its halo orbit at L1 will allow it to continuously study solar phenomena. Science objectives include studying coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, Coronal Mass Ejections, solar atmospheric dynamics and temperature anisotropy. The nominal lifespan of the spacecraft is five years, but this could be extended, according to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Aditya-L1 launched on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Sept. 2 last year. The launch came days after India became the fourth country to land on the moon with the robotic Chandrayaan-3 lander. Aditya-L1 performed four Earth-bound orbital maneuvers before entering a transfer orbit for L1. Its arrival came 126 days later. The 1,480-kilogram spacecraft is equipped with seven scientific instruments developed indigenously for solar research.<div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ERS3wRBM7lm5Izfb76OhBpWsKnO6ZR8S-aImcJErMV9dqdGUsS9VAgmVUZGyR58y95t8SATLJM3dXele-pC2zeHKMYEyYRxUumyhMqKrbPMjnlxKYwNNVp1QAv1ie9C7kc5bgr3B8miSrNSrQWfUOdDKvNpCq9PLZJ6YV-wGqEO_Vhv08VXeb7L1Ucs/s1136/Aditya-L1%20solar%20observatory%20on%20a%20PSLV.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1136" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ERS3wRBM7lm5Izfb76OhBpWsKnO6ZR8S-aImcJErMV9dqdGUsS9VAgmVUZGyR58y95t8SATLJM3dXele-pC2zeHKMYEyYRxUumyhMqKrbPMjnlxKYwNNVp1QAv1ie9C7kc5bgr3B8miSrNSrQWfUOdDKvNpCq9PLZJ6YV-wGqEO_Vhv08VXeb7L1Ucs/s320/Aditya-L1%20solar%20observatory%20on%20a%20PSLV.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #04ff00; color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">Launch of the Aditya-L1 solar observatory on a PSLV from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: ISRO</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-225906 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-india tag-isro tag-solar entry" id="post-225906" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div> </div>Positioned approximately 1% of the Sun-Earth distance within the orbit of our planet, its payload includes an ultraviolet imaging telescope, soft and hard X-ray spectrometers, and a coronagraph for solar observations. Additionally, it carries a pair of particle analyzers and a magnetometer for direct in-situ measurements.<br /><br />For comparison, the James Webb Space Telescope operates at Sun-Earth L-2 Lagrange point, another gravitationally stable point, 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth but in the direction opposite to the Sun.<br /><br />ISRO <a href="https://www.isro.gov.in/Aditya_L1_SUIT.html">released </a>full-disk images of the Sun in ultra-violet from the spacecraft’s SUIT payload in December.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ake4cXoLJoQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="ake4cXoLJoQ"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Meanwhile in low Earth orbit, the upper stage of the PSLV rocket which launched India’s XPoSat X-ray observatory Jan. 1 (UTC), has hosted a series of experiments. Attached to the upper stage is a payload called PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) 3.<br /><br />Experiments included testing tantalum-based coatings, fuel cells, small thrusters, interplanetary dust measurements and more. The experiments were arranged by ISRO and the National Space Promotion Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), a government agency set up to regulate and authorize commercial space activities in India. <br /><br />POEM-3 is part of a wider initiative to spur commercial space development. India last year initiated reforms that officials say can help the country become a global space hub.<br /><br />Two payloads on POEM-3 developed by private firm Bellatrix Aerospace are now space qualified after meeting mission success criteria. These are RUDRA 0.3, a green monopropellant thruster, and ARKA-200, a heater less hollow cathode for Hall thrusters. Bellatrix says it is now able to supply propulsion systems globally.Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-20588157620029195202024-01-04T15:39:00.000-08:002024-01-04T15:41:29.399-08:00NASA pushes ahead with Earth System Observatory despite uncertain budgetsNASA is making progress on a multibillion-dollar series of Earth science missions amid uncertainty about their funding for the next year. In town hall sessions at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in December, NASA officials discussed work on the Earth System Observatory, a series of missions intended to implement the five “designated observables” recommended by the Earth science decadal survey in 2018. Four missions are currently in early phases of development for the Earth System Observatory: the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS)-Storm, AOS-Sky, Surface Biology and Geology, and Mass Change, which NASA recently renamed GRACE-Continuity or GRACE-C to emphasize its links to the GRACE and GRACE-Follow On missions. A fifth mission, Surface Deformation and Change, is an extended study phase so that the agency can incorporate lessons from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission launching in the spring of 2024. These missions “are intended to answer a wide variety of questions” in Earth science, said Karen St. Germain, director of the Earth science division at NASA Headquarters, in one town hall session, and “to integrate observations, science and applications for societal benefit.” The Earth System Observatory represents the “core missions” of Earth science for NASA in the future, she said, alongside a series of smaller missions. “They exist in a larger ecosystem of competed missions.”<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs6dMN5NQ6Vl1auFKf__JE_TqgF1O4i6kOu8ltRwIg6i3dwTjgkuK7vmOj_6b_BSluLE54syP2JUMikJOTZdNabyv0wtSm2s04QrI0HA3LOMBzzTgicsHuD0hdbfbz3HXt7pNezabgAELekOnqskTO-LYmzgS-vQUeqvJvxJ1Eqtupm_sjzXCYWUVFJQ/s800/Atmosphere%20Observing%20System%20(AOS)%20Sky%20and%20Storm%20missions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="800" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs6dMN5NQ6Vl1auFKf__JE_TqgF1O4i6kOu8ltRwIg6i3dwTjgkuK7vmOj_6b_BSluLE54syP2JUMikJOTZdNabyv0wtSm2s04QrI0HA3LOMBzzTgicsHuD0hdbfbz3HXt7pNezabgAELekOnqskTO-LYmzgS-vQUeqvJvxJ1Eqtupm_sjzXCYWUVFJQ/s320/Atmosphere%20Observing%20System%20(AOS)%20Sky%20and%20Storm%20missions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">The Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) Sky and Storm missions are part of the Earth System Observatory. Credit: NASA</span></div><div class="main-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-219945 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-civil1 category-news-archive tag-earth-science tag-earth-system-observatory tag-nasa entry" id="post-219945" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Those missions, though, will not be cheap. The first four missions have an estimated cost of $3.5 billion, including $1.8 billion to $1.99 billion for AOS-Storm and AOS-Sky. St. Germain, though, noted that several international partners will contribute an additional $1.2 billion in instruments and spacecraft for the effort. “It allows us to do more together than the sum of what we could do individually,” she said. “We’re trying to get the maximum science per U.S. dollar invested.”<br /><br />Those missions are tentatively scheduled to launch from the late 2020s into the early 2030s. However, she acknowledged that is dependent on budgets. NASA requested $287 million for Earth System Observatory missions for fiscal year 2024, projecting that to grow to more than half a billion dollars a year by 2026 as the missions move into later phases of development.<br /><br />“We are counting on an increase to cover that development,” she said of the budget for the missions. NASA requested more than $2.47 billion for Earth science in 2024, an increase of nearly $280 million from 2023.<br /><br />That increase, though, has run into broader budget pressures facing NASA as part of a spending agreement passed in June that caps non-defense discretionary spending, like NASA, at 2023 levels for 2024. A Senate appropriation bill would provide a little less than $2.22 billion for Earth science, while the House bill offers only $2 billion.<br /><br />The House bill is silent on funding for the Earth System Observatory, but the report accompanying the Senate bill noted that appropriators were “pleased” with the progress NASA was making on the missions. “The Committee expects NASA to continue formulation of the four Earth System Observatory missions,” it stated, “and provides the request level for these four missions.”<br /><br />St. Germain acknowledged the fiscal uncertainty that the Earth System Observatory and other Earth science programs face, as NASA operates under a continuing resolution holding funding at 2023 levels until Feb. 2. “This is an ongoing conversation,” she said, guided by the direction given by the decadal survey. “We’re moving forward in a budget environment where we will work very hard and do our best to maximize what we can accomplish with the budgets that we end up getting.”<br /><br />However, at a meeting of a National Academies committee Nov. 29, she said NASA was hitting the limits of the advice the decadal survey provided on dealing with budget challenges, including balancing large directed missions with smaller competed ones. “We find ourselves in a position where we’ve exhausted most of the guidance the decadal gave us,” she said.<br /><br />“It is going to be a challenging year,” Nicola Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, said of 2024 at an AGU town hall meeting, citing the budget uncertainty. “We look forward with hope to an appropriation that we will immediately be ready to implement.”<br /><br />She asked scientists at the town hall meeting to work together to advocate for NASA Earth science budgets overall and avoid internecine sniping that pits programs against one another. “The worst thing we can do is not go forward as a community,” she said.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-70940227955094319812024-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:002024-01-01T10:56:33.228-08:00India launches X-ray astronomy satelliteIndia launched an astronomy satellite to start a year that will feature key tests for its human spaceflight program and a potential joint crewed mission with NASA. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Dec. 31 (9:10 a.m. local Jan. 1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It deployed its primary payload, the XPoSat spacecraft, into a 650-kilometer orbit about 22 minutes later. The 469-kilogram satellite carries two instruments to conduct X-ray polarimetry measurements. Astronomers plan to use the data collected by XPoSat to study neutron stars, black holes and supernovae. After deploying XPoSat, the PSLV’s fourth stage maneuvered to a 350-kilometer orbit. Attached to the upper stage is a payload called PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) 3. It carries 10 experiments, such as fuel cells and thrusters, from ISRO, universities and companies expected to operate for about a month. Lowering POEM-3 to 350 kilometers is intended to mitigate debris by reducing the orbital lifetime of the upper stage. “As a responsible space agency, we decided to bring the fourth stage to a lower orbit so that the life of the stage in the orbit is much less, so we don’t create debris in that process,” said S Somanath, chairman of ISRO, in remarks after the launch. The launch was the first of 2024, based on Universal Time. It comes after a record-setting 2023 with about 220 orbital launch attempts worldwide. India conducted seven of those launches using the PSLV, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, all of which were successful.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cAUApBBmhI5rvDcI1tXxtH-02CipoPuGL6BRITOs3vNgqk0DOXagigmBijHvmQCn0Fp1-IiypqiJv2vuJ8DxrqgF9hI9BB9pcYCHV8j4T78ugW4KpW5DOs-5JpyMz3RjMb0Za55cL4xNdPtpZ1uzELy4PPhuOAmywu5Wltw16pqXHvmyeZu7SmTvFUo/s1098/XPoSat%20X-ray%20astronomy%20satellite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1098" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cAUApBBmhI5rvDcI1tXxtH-02CipoPuGL6BRITOs3vNgqk0DOXagigmBijHvmQCn0Fp1-IiypqiJv2vuJ8DxrqgF9hI9BB9pcYCHV8j4T78ugW4KpW5DOs-5JpyMz3RjMb0Za55cL4xNdPtpZ1uzELy4PPhuOAmywu5Wltw16pqXHvmyeZu7SmTvFUo/s320/XPoSat%20X-ray%20astronomy%20satellite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>ISRO expects to roughly double that launch rate in 2024, with 12 to 14 launches planned for the year. Among them will be the GSLV launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth science mission, a joint effort of the two space agencies. That mission is slated for launch on March 30, NASA officials said at a session of the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December.<br /><br />The highlight of 2024 for ISRO, though, will be a series of test flights for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. The agency conducted the first such test in October, launching an uncrewed capsule on a suborbital flight to test its launch abort system.<br /><br />“2024 is going to be the year of Gaganyaan,” Somanath said after the launch, starting with additional abort tests. “This year we are expecting two more such test flights of the test vehicle, followed by the unmanned mission.” That would be an orbital test of the Gaganyaan spacecraft without a crew on board.<br /><br />That schedule would mean the first crewed Gaganyaan flight would take place no earlier than 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he announced the program in August 2018, set a goal for the first launch to take place in 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.<br /><br />The next Indian astronaut to go to space, though, may do so on an American spacecraft. As part of a June 2023 summit meeting between Modi and President Joe Biden, the countries announced they would develop a “strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation” by the end of the year. That would include, according to a joint statement, training of Indian astronauts at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and “a goal of launching a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.”<br /><br />Neither government has released additional details about those plans, including that strategic framework, since then. A Nov. 9 fact sheet by the U.S. State Department on relations between the United States and India reiterated the goal of a joint mission to the ISS in 2024 and training of Indian astronauts at JSC.</div></div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7262738686790977817.post-13734889046836074282023-12-27T11:22:00.000-08:002023-12-27T11:22:29.568-08:00Axelspace raises $44 million for Earth observation and other smallsatsJapanese Earth observation company Axelspace has raised nearly $44 million to both expand its satellite constellation and provide smallsats for other applications. The Tokyo-based company announced Dec. 21 that it raised 6.24 billion yen ($43.9 million) in a Series D round from several Japanese companies and venture funds. The company, which last raised 2.58 billion yen in a Series C round in 2021, has brought in 14.3 billion yen since its founding in 2008. The company currently operates five microsatellites that provide medium-resolution imagery through a service it calls AxelGlobe. Four of those satellites launched in 2021, three years after its first satellite. Axelspace said the new funding will support expansion of its satellite constellation but did not provide details about the plans. The Series D round will also go towards an initiative Axelspace announced in 2022 called AxelLiner, where the company will produce microsatellites for other customers. The goal of the service is to provide a “one-stop service” for the production, launch and operations of smallsats for other customers. At the time of the AxelLiner announcement, the company said it would work with two other Japanese firms, Misumi Group Ltd. and Yuki Holdings Inc., in an alliance for mass production of smallsats. The first demonstration satellite of that effort is scheduled for launch in early 2024. “With this financing, we hope to further solidify the business foundations of both AxelGlobe and AxelLiner services and to establish ourselves as a leading player in providing comprehensive microsatellite solutions,” Yuya Nakamura, president and chief executive of Axelspace, said in a statement about the financing round.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1HuLU06ki2327Mt1RhXg04-n6FVYLPMixFe4_xYYPuuCVlQoP6-rTUt8oi5DRUnIyqYRktpS7-098O8zUyb6njFiamZTliJhoboJJ3OPWpGHyTzNGVV-F8lJynQtOTIj4GH2MHGs2TeMEZ3NV6mraol46IRJOXD3gbfUJx8xOSzBEzRTnNLC65Xf8CA/s1173/Axelspace%20satellites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1173" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1HuLU06ki2327Mt1RhXg04-n6FVYLPMixFe4_xYYPuuCVlQoP6-rTUt8oi5DRUnIyqYRktpS7-098O8zUyb6njFiamZTliJhoboJJ3OPWpGHyTzNGVV-F8lJynQtOTIj4GH2MHGs2TeMEZ3NV6mraol46IRJOXD3gbfUJx8xOSzBEzRTnNLC65Xf8CA/s320/Axelspace%20satellites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">In addition to building satellites for its own Earth observation constellation, Axelspace is offering satellites for other customers. Credit: Axelspace</span></div><div class="main-content" style="background-color: #f9f8f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Albert Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Gill Sans", Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; width: 837.188px;"><article class="post-218953 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-commercial-archive category-news-archive tag-axelspace entry" id="post-218953" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: footnotes 0;"></div></article></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Axelspace is part of a trend of companies that initially built satellites for their own businesses but now offer them to others. Spire, which operates a large cubesat constellation for weather and tracking data, has won several customers for its “space as a service” business line, offering satellites and related capabilities.<br /><br />Several Axelspace investors cited that move into satellite manufacturing and services as a key factor in their decisions to participate in the round. “We have decided to invest in the space industry, a new growth engine for Japan, and specifically in Axelspace,” said Jun Takahashi, president of SMBC Venture Capital Management Co., lead investor in the round. “We are impressed by its achievement in pioneering the space industry and hold high expectations for their future global contributions as a satellite manufacturer and a data service provider.”<br /><br />“We have decided to invest in Axelspace, a pioneer in the field of microsatellites, in the hope that they will become a global unicorn company from Japan and take the company to the next level,” said Yasuhiko Yurimoto, chief executive of Global Brain Corporation, another investor in Axelspace.<br /><br />The funding round is the latest sign of growing investor interest in Japan for entrepreneurial space companies. Satellite servicing company Astroscale, based in Tokyo with operations in several countries, has raised more than $376 million, including a $76 million Series G round in February. That round included a strategic investment from Japanese satellite manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric.<br /><br />In April, Japanese lunar lander developer ispace went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange shortly before its first lander crashed on final approach to the lunar surface. It is working on a second lander scheduled to launch in 2024.<br /><br />Another Japanese company, iQPS, went public on the same exchange Dec. 6, raising $24 million. The company said the funding would support its development of a constellation of synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites.</div>Jackkathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13814188141112054689noreply@blogger.com0